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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State football begins the season with a first-time quarterback, a volatile running back situation and new starters more than halfway through its defensive positions.
These unknowns do not lower the expectations of the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Conference.
Ohio State is the unanimous preseason favorite in the cleveland.com 2021 Big Ten preseason poll. The 34 members of our voting panel chose the Buckeyes – the four-time defending champions – to win the Big Ten East and the Championship game.
Voters picked Wisconsin as the Western favorite with 29 first-place votes. Iowa, second, received the other five first-place votes.
Cleveland.com took on the responsibility of running the ballot for posterity when the Big Ten abandoned it 11 years ago. The panel included at least one beat writer from all 14 Big Ten teams and a few that span the league or have a national perspective.
• Chris Olave, Ohio State soccer player, was named the Big Ten preseason offensive player of the year in the cleveland.com poll
• Northwestern safety Brandon Joseph was voted Defensive Player of the Year in the preseason Big Ten in the cleveland.com poll
Ohio State has been voted preseason favorite for the seventh time in the past nine years. However, the choice of champion had not been unanimous since 2015. Michigan state won the Big Ten that season, with voters failing to predict the champion in each of the first six polls.
Each writer was asked to vote 1-7 in both divisions, with first-place votes worth seven points, second-place votes worth six, and so on.
BIG TEN WEST
1. Wisconsin (29 votes for first place) 233 points
2. Iowa (5) 202
3. Northwest 160
4. Minnesota 146
5. Nebraska 91.5
6. Purdue 72.5
7. Illinois 47
BIG TEN IS
1. State of Ohio (34 votes for first place) 238
2. Penn State 192
3. Indiana 169
4. Michigan 144
5. Maryland 79
6. Rutger 77.5
7. Michigan State 52.5
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Ohio State vs Wisconsin (29)
Ohio State over Iowa (5)
OTHER SURVEY BULLETIN
• Iowa received votes to finish anywhere from first to fifth in the West. Rutgers were the most polarizing team in the East, picked to finish from third to last.
• Many voters likely had to choose between Penn State and Indiana for second place in the East. They picked the Nittany Lions by a 23-11 margin on the second-place votes.
• Only one voter (Doug Lesmerises of cleveland.com) correctly picked Northwestern to win the West in the 2020 poll. Wisconsin and Minnesota were considered the top two contenders in the division, and the consensus vote chose the Wildcats for fifth. Instead, they reached the Big Ten Championship game for the second time in three years.
Thinking back to the poll’s history, here are the league favorites and eventual champions from the division division, the title match introduction and the Big Ten dodging a full preseason standings.
2020: Choice: State of Ohio. Actual: Ohio State
2019: Choice: Michigan. Actual: Ohio State
2018: Choice: State of Ohio. Actual: State of Ohio.
2017: Choice: State of Ohio. Actual: State of Ohio.
2016: Choice: State of Ohio. Actual: State of Penn.
2015 : Choice: State of Ohio. Actual: State of Michigan.
2014 : Choice: State of Michigan. Actual: State of Ohio.
2013: Choice: State of Ohio. Actual: State of Michigan.
2012: Choice: Michigan. Real: Wisconsin.
2011: Choose: Nebraska. Real: Wisconsin.
Fields Bears Jersey: Ohio State football fans can purchase Justin Fields’ new Chicago Bears jersey here. It’s available in white, blue and orange – and in men’s, women’s and youth sizes. There is also a cheaper t-shirt option.
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