B1G football predictions 2022: Media predicts conference’s order of finish

The path to the 2022 college football season is picking up steam with Big Ten Media Days taking center stage Tuesday and Wednesday in Indianapolis.

As the conference gears up for talking season, the preseason poll for the conference’s order of finish was published Monday. Compiled by Cleveland.com, the preseason poll features votes from 36 members of the media.

Leading the way, Ryan Day’s Ohio State program is the unanimous preseason pick to win the East Division and the B1G Championship. It is the third straight season that the Buckeyes are picked to in the B1G, but it is the first time since 2015 that a team is a unanimous choice to win the conference.

In the West, Wisconsin captured 31 of 36 first-place votes. Iowa (3) and Minnesota (2) were the other programs to capture first-place votes.

Wisconsin and Ohio State, preseason favorites in the divisions, will face each other on Sept. 24 in Columbus.

Here is the full preseason poll and the predicted order of finish for the B1G:

East Division

1. Ohio State (36)

2. Michigan

3. Penn State

4. Michigan State

5. Maryland

6. Rutgers

7. Indiana

West Division

1. Wisconsin (31 first-place votes)

2. Iowa (3)

3. Minnesota (2)

4. Purdue

5. Nebraska

6. Illinois

7. Northwestern

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.