Where did Ohio State land in the Cleveland.com preseason Big Ten football media poll?
The results were as close as any I can remember in recent years, but after 25 media members were polled from around the conference, Penn State was picked to win the Big Ten championship with 11 first-place votes. As we mentioned, it was close, though, with Ohio State finishing second, just one first-place vote behind the Nittany Lions and with total poll points totaling 435 to 431.
Penn State has gotten a lot of preseason buzz this season, mainly because it returns a lot of veteran players at key positions, including Drew Allar at quarterback and the tandem of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton at running back, both of whom eclipsed 1,000 yards in 2024. The defense should also be a very good one with key skill returning and now under the guidance of former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
If Penn State can pull it off, it'll be the first time it has taken home the Big Ten title since 2016. Oregon -- last year's conference champion -- was picked to finish third, followed by Illinois (4), and Michigan (5). The Ducks got three first-place votes, and the Wolverines got one (no truth to the rumor that it was Connor Stalions). The Illini didn't receive a first-place vote.
Here's a look at the entire preseason Big Ten order of finish predictions from the Cleveland.com poll:
We'll have coverage of Big Ten media days when things get rolling on Tuesday and through the rest of the week. It's about to get a lot of fun, and there are only a few weeks before we get to buckle up on this ride called college football season again.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
What's the answer to college football's playoff problem? Big Ten commish points at 'play-in games' for his rationale
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In an interview on Monday with Yahoo Sports from the site of this week's Big Ten football media days, Petitti emphasized that his league's position on a future playoff format remains unchanged — a position, he says, that is unlikely to change until the power conferences agree to play the same amount of conference games (nine) and until the selection process is rectified. The conference continues to support a playoff structure with more automatic access spots as opposed to the so-called '5+11' format that features more at-large selections. The Big Ten's long-discussed playoff format — a '4-4-2-2-1' model — would grant four automatic qualifiers to the SEC and Big Ten, two each to the ACC and Big 12, one to the highest-ranked Group of Six champion and three at-large selections. The model, vehemently opposed by the ACC and Big 12, would reduce the subjectivity of the selection committee, incentivize more perennial non-conference matchups and, Petitti says, provide an avenue for inner-conference play-in style games pitting, for instance, the third-place Big Ten team against the sixth-place finisher and the fourth vs. the fifth for spots in the playoff. Any format with a bigger at-large pool such as the 5+11 — it grants qualifiers to the top five conference champions and 11 at-large spots — relies too heavily on a subjective selection committee, he says. Petitti believes proposed alterations to the data used by selection committee members to seed teams and determine at-large selections remains 'incredibly incomplete' and, he suggested, may never reach the point of satisfying his membership. 'I've heard my colleagues around other leagues say that a lot of work has to be done to the selection committee and that's where I have a hard time on what that actually means,' Petitti said. 'In talking to some of the folks in our room, our ADs that have been on that (selection) committee, I've yet to hear someone say they need more data or stuff to look at. You can come up and make metrics, but ultimately it's just people evaluating what's put in front of them.' While acknowledging that his league must agree with the SEC on a playoff format in order for it to advance forward — the two conferences control the matter — Petitti says he's OK with the playoff remaining at 12 teams next season instead of the proposed 16-team expanded model. 'Earlier on, we felt expansion would be a good thing, but we're not going to expand unless we really feel like the format and access makes sense,' Petitti said. 'It has to make the regular season better. If it doesn't do that, why are we doing it?' Such a possibility — remaining as a 12-team playoff in 2026 — is growing more likely by the day as the two conferences remain at an impasse, both with one another over the number of conference games they play (SEC eight and the Big Ten nine) and with the CFP's selection process. The SEC is yet to decide on whether it is moving from eight conference games to nine in 2026, though signs point to the conference remaining at eight games at least for next year, especially if the selection committee process is unsatisfactory. Even SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said last week during his media days there's 'not a lot of warmth' from the football coaches in adding an extra conference game. The head coaches hold sway in the conference. In fact, their pushback to the Big Ten's 4-4-2-2-1 model in May shifted the league's consideration of that format. Meanwhile, neither league seems necessarily agreeable to proposed alterations to data changes in the selection process. The CFP staff proposed to commissioners an adjustment to the committee's strength-of-schedule ranking that gives more weight to games played, for instance, against the top 30-40 programs in the country. Secondly, a new data point, 'strength of record,' has been created that grants more weight to good wins and doesn't penalize as much a program for losses against ranked or top teams. Petitti is unmoved. He is against widening the at-large pool from seven to 11 teams as it gives the 12-member selection committee — a rotation of mostly athletic directors and former coaches — more authority. 'It's not that we think the selection committee does a poor job. I'm just not sure how you make it better. The more teams you add, the more tough decisions you create,' he said. 'We're going to give the committee more to do? What's the reason to do that? Giving them more work to do and more discretion?' Despite the disagreement with the SEC, both commissioners say that they continue to speak regularly and the two leagues remain close. Petitti hopes the conferences can hold a third joint athletic director meeting soon. 'Anybody who is writing that the fact we might not be on the same page today on format changes means we don't have a great working relationship is in the wrong place,' Petitti said Monday. Said Sankey last week: 'There is no rift between the SEC and Big Ten commissioners. We have different views. That's OK.' They disagree on something else too: the timing of the transfer portal. A committee of power conference football administrators and athletic directors is expected to make a formal recommendation on the portal soon. The expectation is for a single portal in January. The Big Ten remains the only FBS conference that is against such a move. Big Ten coaches and administrators are pushing for an April portal. 'That's not where the other three (power) leagues are,' Petitti said. 'At the end of the day, when you govern with others, there are going to be issues where you know you're going to have to agree that your position wasn't the one adopted. But having player movement occur during the postseason seems something that is not ideal. It puts players in tough spots. It's not good for the game.' In an interview with Yahoo Sports last week, Sankey said he was seeking a portal date that is 'the right thing for the educational enterprise,' and both leaders believe there should be a single portal as opposed to the two currently existing. 'We have to get back as a collegiate enterprise to say we have a responsibility and expectation that you pursue your education in a consistent way,' Sankey said. 'Transferring every semester or five schools in five years is not consistent with those objectives.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
College football viewer's guide: Here are all the new coaches, including UNC's Bill Belichick
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Jake Dickert, Wake Forest: The former Washington State coach headed east to replace Dave Clawson after Clawson stepped down after 11 seasons with the Demon Deacons. Dickert led Washington State through two seasons of turmoil as the Pac-12 dissolved and other schools left the Cougars in the dust. Wazzu went 8-4 in 2024 as it scrambled to piece together a schedule following the conference's demise. Frank Reich, Stanford: The ex-Colts and Panthers coach will be one-and-done in Palo Alto. Reich was hired as the team's temporary coach when Stanford fired Troy Taylor after news broke of the school investigations into his treatment of staffers. Reich was brought in by former Stanford QB Andrew Luck, as the former No. 1 overall draft pick is now the GM of the Cardinal. Luck has a big task ahead of him as Stanford has gone 3-9 in each of the past four seasons. American Scott Abell, Rice: The Owls hired Abell from FCS-level Davidson. 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Simmons spent the 2024 season as the running backs coach at Duke after a six-year stint as Florida A&M's head coach. The Rattlers were 45-13 in his tenure. MAC Mark Carney, Kent State: Carney is the Golden Flashes' interim head coach following Kenni Burns' firing. Burns was fired in April after he was placed on administrative leave. Kent State never officially said why Burns was fired, but an independent investigation revealed Burns had taken over $100,000 in loans from a Kent State booster who was also a vendor for the school. Getting multiple wins in 2025 will be a big success for Carney. Kent State was 1-23 in Burns' two seasons. Matt Drinkall, Central Michigan: The former Army offensive assistant was hired to replace Jim McElwain after McElwain retired. Drinkable had coached tight ends and the offensive line for Army since joining Jeff Monken's coaching staff in 2019. Eddie George, Bowling Green: The Heisman winner and former Ohio State star was hired in March by the Falcons after Scot Loeffler took a job with the Philadelphia Eagles. George coached FCS-level Tennessee State for the past four seasons and had a career record of 24-22 with the school after a 9-4 campaign in 2024. Joe Harasymiak, UMass: Harasymiak has been an assistant at the top level of college football after a three-year stint as Maine's head coach from 2016-2018. After three seasons at Minnesota, Harasymiak was the defensive coordinator at Rutgers for the last three years. Brian Smith, Ohio: Smith was promoted to replace Albin after Albin left for Charlotte. Smith has worked at Hawaii and Washington State and was the Bobcats' assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2024 in his third season with the school. Mike Uremovich, Ball State: Uremovich comes to Ball State from Butler, where the Bulldogs were 23-11 over the past three seasons. 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Before heading to Virginia, Mendenhall was the head coach at BYU from 2005-2015 and the Cougars had a 99-43 record. Dan Mullen, UNLV: The former Florida and Mississippi State coach is back on the sidelines after working as a commentator for ESPN. Florida was 34-15 in Mullen's time from 2018-2021, but was 5-6 in 2021 before he was fired ahead of the last week of the season. Hiring Odom, another former SEC coach, worked out brilliantly for the Rebels. We'll see if the formula can be replicated with Mullen. Pac-12 Jimmy Rogers, Washington State: Rogers moves up to the top level of college football after a national title with South Dakota State. The former SDSU linebacker was a defensive assistant with the Jackrabbits from 2013-2022 before taking over as the team's head coach in 2023. That season, SDSU went 15-0 on the way to the FCS title and was 12-3 in 2024 after losing in the semifinals. Sun Belt Tony Gibson, Marshall: Gibson needs to rebuild the Marshall roster after a player exodus following the departure of Charles Huff. Marshall opted out of the Independence Bowl at the end of the 2024 season because the team said it didn't have enough players to play Army. That resulted in a six-figure fine from the Sun Belt conference. Gibson is a longtime defensive assistant who was most recently at NC State. He's also coached at Michigan, Pittsburgh, Arizona and West Virginia. Charles Huff, Southern Mississippi: Huff left Marshall after his contract expired. It was a unique situation; Huff's four-year contract wasn't extended after winning seasons in his first two years and the school didn't move to retain him despite a 10-4 season in 2024. Southern Miss was 1-11 in 2024 after going 3-9 in 2023. Dowell Loggains, Appalachian State: The former South Carolina offensive coordinator parlayed the Gamecocks' successful season into his first college head coaching job. 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USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Big Ten media days schedule: When does Iowa football take the stage?
The ramp-up to the Hawkeyes' 2025 college football season continues this week with the annual Big Ten media days. Like the rest of its Big Ten counterparts, Iowa descends upon Las Vegas and to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino to preview its upcoming 2025 campaign. Alongside Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes are bringing center Logan Jones, defensive end Ethan Hurkett and safety Koen Entringer. In that trio of players, Iowa is represented by two sixth-year Hawkeyes in Jones and Hurkett that have combined for 51 career starts. Meanwhile, Entringer was listed opposite Xavier Nwankpa as one of Iowa's two starting safeties to begin the spring season for the Hawkeyes. As Big Ten media days begins, here's a look at the week's full schedule of events with all times listed in CT: Day 1: Tuesday, July 22 Big Ten Commissioner Tony Pettiti: 1 p.m. Illinois: 1:30 p.m. Rutgers: 1:45 p.m. Indiana: 2 p.m. Maryland: 2:15 p.m. Nebraska: 2:30 p.m. Ohio State: 2:45 p.m. Day 2: Wednesday, July 23 Minnesota: 1:30 p.m. Northwestern: 1:45 p.m. Wisconsin: 2 p.m. Oregon: 2:15 p.m. Washington: 2:30 p.m. Penn State: 2:45 p.m. Day 3: Thursday, July 24 Iowa: 1:30 p.m. Purdue: 1:45 p.m. UCLA: 2 p.m. Michigan State: 2:15 p.m. USC: 2:30 p.m. Michigan: 2:45 p.m. Where to watch, stream Big Ten media days Fans can watch Big Ten media days live on the Big Ten Network or stream via the Fox Sports App. Watch Big Ten Media Days Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF
