Hawkeyes 4th in the Big Ten West?

OK, I picked Iowa third in the Big Ten West. Before you take to social media and take to the pitchforks (how many of you have actually seen a pitchfork?), hear me out.

Wisconsin lost two outside linebackers to the NFL and still is loaded on defense, which will have a 34-year-old defensive coordinator in Jim Leonhard. Northwestern has a great running back, an effective quarterback and depth on the defensive line.

Iowa will have a new QB, has a largely unknown wide receiver corps and a 34-year-old offensive coordinator in Brian Ferentz. Iowa has what might be the West's top O-line, but it lacks known depth on the D-line.

And so third place in the West. For now. And on paper. Here in late July. So, you know, this is a total stab in the dark.

This is the time of year for picks, totally meaningless picks that, no, no way, surely won't come back to bite anyone in the keyboard.

With Big Ten media days beginning Monday in Chicago, let's get into the seventh annual cleveland.com Big Ten preseason poll. Thirty-eight voters chimed in.

Yes, Ohio State made the list.

The Buckeyes were predicted to win the Big Ten by 29 of our 38 voters from around the conference. Wisconsin and Penn State each received four votes, while Michigan earned one. The Buckeyes have never won the Big Ten when this poll has picked them to do so.

I went with the Buckeyes in the East and Wisconsin in the West. I think both schools will contend for the College Football Playoffs.

My defensive player of the year is OSU D-lineman Tyquan Lewis, picking him over Iowa LB Josey Jewell. My offensive pick was Penn State RB Saquon Barkley, ahead of QBs Trace McSorley and J.T. Barrett.

Ohio State over Wisconsin in the B1G title game was the most popular championship pick with 22 votes. Ohio State got 29 votes for champion.

Lewis edged Jewell for defensive player, with 61 points to 59 (12 first-place votes to 11). Barkley was the runaway winner for offensive player.

Surely these picks won't come back to bite me.

OK, let's get into some B1G storylines that will come up next week.

— Remember that scene in the Game of Thrones' episode 'Battle of the Bastards,' when the bad guy's army surrounded Jon Snow's?

Whose table or platform or whatever will get that maneuver first? Ohio State's Urban Meyer is probably the correct answer, but Michigan's Jim Harbaugh also will get that treatment.

And what about Harbaugh this year?

Year 1 felt like Michigan was back. Year 2 . . . well, you guys remember how that ended. (It ended on a November night in Kinnick Stadium, when you guys 'borrowed' the quarterback's helmet and took it drinking downtown — a tradition I totally support and really should become a tradition after a win.)

I don't see Harbaugh Year 3 ending in a championship. This is not a bad thing, it's year 3. I don't think anyone Michigan is tapping their foot yet.

— I don't know what to make out of Michigan State.

The Spartans were at the top of the league and then went 3-9 last year and had a worse offseason, with three players being arrested for sexual assault.

Head coach Mark Dantonio isn't on the hot seat for results. He might be there for these incidents. The MSU board of trustees gave him a 'vote of confidence' this summer.

Dantonio/MSU has a long way to go to win back its reputation. It feels minor and almost an insult to the victims to talk about football prospects here, but Iowa ends September at Michigan State. The Spartans are a major game on Iowa's schedule.

— What do you think about Penn State's James Franklin now?

Funny what a pair of Heisman candidates will do for an offense. Also, Franklin was smart enough to hire Joe Moorhead away from Fordham to be his offensive coordinator.

Moorhead unlocked that offense. You saw it last year, when the Lions put up the second-most yards against a Kirk Ferentz Iowa team. That's 18 seasons of football.

I don't know why Franklin hired Moorhead. The 43-year-old was in his fourth year at Fordham. Coordinators matter and credit Franklin for seeing the possibilities.

If Penn State played host to the Buckeyes this year, I would've picked it to win the East.

— Think new Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson will know what to do with Barrett? Wilson made Indiana a bowl team before resigning at the end of last season after IU launched an investigation into his treatment of players.

Pushing the buttons for a national title contender probably will be good career rehab. (I'm sorry, Hugh Freeze, there's none of that for you. And don't even think about it, Art Briles. Don't even.)

— I'm usually not big on college coaches making money off endorsements (credit where credit's due, Kirk Ferentz has never made a dime from commercial endorsements), but if Minnesota's P.J. Fleck wants to get paid for using a rowing machine, more power to him.

If he's not your coach, you probably consider him an irritant. I'm interested to see how this act plays out on the B1G stage. Even if it's not an act, 'Row the boat' will echo in a semi-empty stadium if the Gophers are 4-8.

Chicago is the first stop. Games and answers are close.

Here are the cleveland.com totals. 

EAST

1. Ohio State 260 (34 first-place votes)

2. Penn State 231.5 (7 first-place votes)

3. Michigan 192 (1 first-place vote)

4. Michigan State 128

5. Indiana 114

6. Maryland 100.5

7. Rutgers 38

(first-place votes equal more than 38 because of some ties for first)

WEST

1. Wisconsin 259 (31 first-place votes)

2. Northwestern 219 (5 first-place votes)

3. Nebraska 176.5 (2 first-place votes)

4. Iowa 164.5

5. Minnesota 131

6. Purdue 57

6. Illinois 57

Big Ten championship game

Ohio State over Wisconsin (22)

Ohio State over Northwestern (5)

Ohio State over Nebraska (2)

Wisconsin over Ohio State (3)

Wisconsin over Penn State (1)

Penn State over Wisconsin (4)

Michigan over Wisconsin (1)

Big Ten champ

Ohio State (29)

Wisconsin (4)

Penn State (4)

Michigan (1)

College Football Playoff

26 voters said Ohio State will make playoff

4 said Wisconsin will make playoff

3 said Penn State will make playoff

1 said Michigan will make playoff

3 said both Ohio State and Penn State will make playoff

1 said both Ohio State and Wisconsin will make playoff

No voters said the Big Ten will have zero playoff teams

Offensive Player of the Year

Saquon Barkley, 103 points (30 first-place votes)

J.T. Barrett, 59 points (5 first-place votes)

Trace McSorley, 30 points (2 first-place votes)

Justin Jackson, 25 points, (1 first-place vote)

Mike Weber, 2 points

L.J. Scott, 2 points

Alex Hornibrook, 2 points

Rodney Smith, 2 points

Troy Fumagalli, 1 point

Simmie Cobbs, 1 point

Jamarco Jones, 1 point

Defensive Player of the Year

Tyquan Lewis, 61 points (12 first-place votes)

Josey Jewell, 59 points (11 first-place votes)

Rashan Gary, 23 points (3 first-place votes)

Tegray Scales, 19 points (4 first-place votes)

Jerome Baker, 12 points (2 first-place votes)

Sam Hubbard, 11 points (2 first-place votes)

Jack Cichy, 10 points (1 first-place vote)

Maurice Hurst, 9 points (1 first-place vote)

Marcus Allen, 9 points

T.J. Edwards, 7 points (1 first-place vote)

Nick Bosa, 4 points (1 first-place vote)

Godwin Igwebuike, 2 points

Steven Richardson, 1 point

Blessuan Austin, 1 point

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com