Iowa Picked Third In Big Ten West In Preseason Media Poll
Ohio State was picked the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten football championship, according to a poll of media members who cover the conference.
Iowa was picked third in the Big Ten West Division, according to the poll by Cleveland.com.
Ohio State's Justin Fields was named the preseason offensive player of the year, while Penn State's Micah Parsons was the unanimous selection for defensive player of the year.
The Buckeyes received 33 of the 34 first-place votes to win the conference and the East Division.
There was more of a dispute over who would win the West Division.
Wisconsin had 19 first-place votes and finished with 221 points overall. Minnesota received 14 first-place votes and had 209 1/2 points to finish second. Northwestern received the other first-place vote, but was ranked sixth in the division.
A look inside Kinnick Stadium. (Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen-Imagn Content Services)
Iowa had 157 points for third. Nebraska (117), Purdue (105), Northwestern (87 1/2) and Illinois (55) rounded out the division rankings.
Penn State received the other first-place vote in the East Division and was second with 204 points. Michigan (169) was third, Indiana (134) was fourth, Michigan State (94) was fifth. Maryland (76) and Rutgers (38) were at the bottom of the division.
The poll, which includes at least one beat writer for every school as well as other media members, is traditionally revealed during Big Ten Media Days in Chicago, but that event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The release of the poll comes at an uncertain time for the 2020 football season. The Big Ten has decided to play a conference-only schedule, but has not released it yet.
The conference announced, in a letter to Big Ten athletic directors on Thursday, that medical protocols and policies will be announced next week, but the start of preseason practice may be delayed.
