Surprise Contenders Emerge in Big Ten Football’s Preseason Poll—Who’s Poised to Upset the Powerhouses?

That’s right, the Nittany Lions edged out the Ohio State Buckeyes to claim the No. 1 ranking in the media poll. Last year’s conference champion Oregon came in at No. 3, followed by Illinois, Michigan and Indiana to round out the top six. 

The minnows for this season appear to be No. 18 Purdue, No. 17 Northwester, No. 16 Maryland and No. 15 UCLA.

Here is the full ranking (first-place votes in parentheses):

1. Penn State (11)
2. Ohio State (10)
3. Oregon (2)
4. Illinois
5. Michigan
6. Indiana
7. Iowa
8. Nebraska
9. USC
10. Washington
11. Minnesota
12. Wisconsin
13. Michigan State (*tied for 13th with Rutgers)
14. Rutgers (*tied for 13th with Michigan State)
15. UCLA
16. Maryland
17. Northwestern
18. Purdue

NEW: Big Ten Preseason Media Poll via @clevelanddotcom

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