B1G writers pick Hawkeyes fifth in the Legends

The Big Ten media poll for the 2013 football season was very chalky.

Ohio State is the unanimous choice to win the Leaders Division and the overwhelming pick to win the Big Ten title in the third annual Big Ten preseason media poll organized by The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio).

In a poll of 26 league writers, two for each of the 12 teams in the Big Ten and two league-wide reporters from ESPN.com, there was no surprise as the Buckeyes received all 26 votes to win the Leaders Division and move to the championship game in Indianapolis for the first time. One writer did have Ohio State tying for the division title with Wisconsin and advancing on the tiebreaker.

Writers ranked each division one through six, with teams given six points for a first-place vote and one point for a sixth-place vote, and writers were allowed to predict ties for any place.

The Iowa Hawkeyes, coming off a 4-8 2012 campaign, got very little love.

Iowa was picked to finish in the Legends and received just 43 points, so it was pretty close to a unanimous fifth place. The top four teams in the Legends -- Michigan, Nebraska, Michigan State and Northwestern -- had scores that ranged from 135.5 to 95.5.

League writers picked the Wolverines to win the Legends and qualify for their first appearance in the Big Ten championship game. Michigan and Nebraska each received 14 first-place votes. MSU received four.

Ohio State picked up 26 first-place votes and is the prohibitive favorite in the Leaders.

The Buckeyes were one of the teams in all of the Big Ten title game picks. Only one voter had them losing to Michigan.

The Plain Dealer started this poll in 2011 when the Big Ten stopped taking picks from reporters and issuing their own projected champion, as the league had done for years and as most other conferences do. The Big Ten meetings take place in Chicago on Wednesday and Thursday (The Gazette's Mike Hlas, Scott Doctherman and Marc Morehouse will provide coverage).

In 2011, Wisconsin and Nebraska were named the division favorites, with the Cornhuskers holding a 12-11 edge as projected title game winners. That wasn't quite right. That December, Wisconsin beat Michigan State in the first Big Ten title game, which was predicted by three of the 24 writers that year.

In 2012, Wisconsin and Michigan were picked to win their divisions, the Badgers getting 19 of 24 votes and the Wolverines 16 of 24. Michigan was the most popular pick to win the title. While Wisconsin did make the title game, it was Ohio State that really won the Leaders Division, but was banned from the postseason. Only one writer picked that. And only one voted for Nebraska, the Legends Division champ.

So the poll is 1-for-4 in projecting division winners and has missed on both title game winners.

The Picks

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There were a couple of poll questions, too.

1) Will the Big Ten champion play for the national title?

NO -- 17 votes; YES -- 9 votes

My vote: No. The Big Ten's rep has sagged to the point where it just won't stand up in a 1-loss standoff with an SEC team or Oregon. Too many bodies to climb over. Of course, if OSU runs the table, then shut my mouth.

2) Pick the top three coaches in the Big Ten:

(

First-place votes) Total points

Urban Meyer, Ohio State (21) 71

Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern (4) 44

Bill O'Brien, Penn State (1) 15

Mark Dantonio, Michigan State 10

Brady Hoke, Michigan 9

Bo Pelini, Nebraska 2

My top three:

1. Urban Meyer -- He rubs the tweedy Big Ten the wrong way, but the "big boy" approach is the right one for OSU. It's up to the rest of the league's coaches to join the race or become ceremonial fodder.

2. Pat Fitzgerald -- Right man, right job, not going anywhere. NU is inching toward becoming what Stanford is. Will there ever be a pro pipeline? That's the next step. If he ever pushes the Cats to a B1G title game, he's looking at "Coach Ditka" status in Chicago.

3. Mark Dantonio -- Shrewdest coach in the B1G. He has Michigan off balance. I debated Bill O'Brien, but Dantonio doesn't get enough credit. Still a question on if he can make MSU a consistent threat -- especially when expansion kicks in for '14 -- and that's why he's not higher. Big year in that regard.

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My picks:

1. Ohio State

2. Penn State

3. Wisconsin

4. Indiana

5. Illinois

6. Purdue

Legends

1. Nebraska

2. Michigan State

3. Michigan

4. Northwestern

5. Iowa

6. Minnesota

Ohio State vs. Nebraska -- Ohio State is the winner