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Buckeyes picked second behind Michigan in annual Big Ten Media Preseason Poll

Spencer-Holbrookby:Spencer Holbrook•07/25/23•

SpencerHolbrook

Ryan Day by Matt Parker -- Lettermen Row --
Ohio State coach Ryan Day (Matt Parker/Lettermen Row)

COLUMBUS — Ohio State is officially entering this fall as a definite underdog.

Media from around the Big Ten made that abundantly clear Tuesday morning just ahead of Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis, tabbing rival Michigan as the undoubted favorite to win the league heading into the 2023 season, according to the annual preseason poll conducted by Cleveland.com.

The Big Ten does not conduct an official preseason poll like the other conferences have.

Michigan earned 27 of the possible 37 votes to win the league this season. Ohio State earned eight first-place votes. The other two votes were cast for Penn State, a team returning a lot of talent but breaking in a new quarterback.

This is the first year since 2019 that Ohio State hasn’t been selected as the preseason favorite. Michigan was the favorite back in 2019 before the Buckeyes were picked in three straight preseason polls.

This poll was certainly expected. The Wolverines won the league in 2021 after finally taking down the Buckeyes, who were then un unanimously selected to win the Big Ten entering last season. Michigan embraced the underdog role and beat the Buckeyes for the second straight season — this time in the Horseshoe — to win back-to-back league crowns.

Now Michigan is the decided favorite to three-peat.

According to the Cleveland.com poll, the race in the Big Ten West was much tighter than in the Big Ten East. Wisconsin earned 20 first-place votes out of the 37 possible and scored 233 points. Iowa had 16 first-place votes led to 232 points, coming one point shy of Wisconsin as the West favorite. Minnesota also earned a first-place vote.

Not a single voter in the preseason poll predicted that a Big Ten West team will win the Big Ten title. The Big Ten West has never won a Big Ten title since the current divisions were constructed prior to the 2014 season.

Big Ten Preseason Poll

Big Ten East

  1. Michigan (27 first-place votes)
  2. Ohio State (8)
  3. Penn State (2)
  4. Maryland
  5. Michigan State
  6. Rutgers
  7. Indiana

Big Ten West

  1. Wisconsin (20)
  2. Iowa (16)
  3. Minnesota (1)
  4. Illinois
  5. Nebraska
  6. Purdue
  7. Northwestern

Big Ten Championship Game Predictions

Cleveland.com also had its voters, from all 14 Big Ten programs and some national perspectives, predict the Big Ten title game.

The results are found below:

Michigan over Wisconsin (15)
Michigan over Iowa (11)
Michigan Minnesota (1)
Ohio State over Iowa (4)
Ohio State over Wisconsin (4)
Penn State over Iowa (1)
Penn State over Wisconsin (1)

The Big Ten dropped its media poll from preseason festivities 13 years ago.

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