Don't fret about Big Ten media's football picks

Preseason, schmeeseason.

(Note to self: Don't offer up this blog post to the Webby Awards'  nominating committee. That first paragraph is an all-time worst.}

Twenty-six media mopes voted in a poll organized by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Doug Lesmerises (a fine sportswriter who covers Ohio State and is not a mope. Neither are the other 25. I just like saying "media mopes."). They picked a bunch of preseason Big Ten football this and that, including the projected finish of the teams in the league standings.

As you can see in this On Iowa blog post by Marc Morehouse, they picked Ohio State and Michigan to win the Leaders and Legends divisions, respectively. We're three years into this, and I still have to look up who's a Legend and who's a Leader. Sad.

Anyway, like I said, Ohio State and Michigan. Although, the Wolverines barely nosed out Nebraska in the Legends voting. Iowa was slotted fifth in the Legends, well behind fourth-place Northwestern and not much ahead of sixth-place Minnesota.

Fear not, Hawkeye fans. Or fans of teams that aren't Ohio State or Michigan. Last year's media poll rang less true than Ryan Braun. Here was the preseason voting one July ago:

LEADERS

Team (First-place votes) Points

1. Wisconsin (19) 139

2. Ohio State (5) 125

3. Purdue 79

4. Illinois 72

5. Penn State 65

6. Indiana 24

LEGENDS

Team (First-place votes) Points

1. Michigan (16) 134

2. Michigan State (7) 120

3. Nebraska (1) 104

4. Iowa 72

5. Northwestern 51

6. Minnesota 24

Here is the way the season turned out:

STANDINGS

CONFERENCE

OVERALL

Big Ten - Legends

W-L

PF

PA

W-L

PF

PA

STRK

Nebraska

7-1

231

195

10-4

487

386

L2

Michigan

6-2

246

133

8-5

388

258

L2

Northwestern

5-3

253

199

10-3

412

293

W3

Michigan State

3-5

159

149

7-6

260

212

W2

Iowa

2-6

150

201

4-8

232

275

-

Minnesota

2-6

137

220

6-7

287

321

L3

Big Ten - Leaders

W-L

PF

PA

W-L

PF

PA

STRK

Ohio State

8-0

295

205

12-0

446

274

-

Penn State

6-2

261

168

8-4

349

229

-

Wisconsin

4-4

244

146

8-6

414

268

L1

Purdue

3-5

189

265

6-7

373

406

L1

Indiana

2-6

231

328

4-8

369

423

-

Illinois

0-8

94

281

2-10

200

385

-

Wisconsin finished third, not a clear-cut first, though third was as good as first since Ohio State and Penn State were ineligible for the league's title game. Nebraska finished first, not third. And so forth.

So don't worry. Be happy.