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The Big Ten is set to be a fascinating conference once again in 2022. After the Michigan Wolverines broke the mold in 2021 by beating Ohio State and then winning the conference title game, the field resets and the Buckeyes look to return to the top of the mountain. With the divisions as deep as ever, it figures to be a challenge for Michigan to repeat. Ohio State is expected to get back to the top after stumbling against arch-rival Michigan a season ago.

Cleveland.com revealed its preseason poll Monday, with Ohio State being the overwhelming favorite. Bucknuts’ Steve Helwagen revealed the Big Ten preseason poll, as voted on by 247Sports’ Big Ten publishers, also putting the Buckeyes back on top. The poll also features votes for offensive and defensive players of the year and the conference’s media day schedule.

Other teams like Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State and Michigan State got a lot of respect in the Cleveland.com poll.

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Let’s break down the preseason poll finishes from Cleveland.com with first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points.

The Buckeyes run this division, it’s quite simple. Based on the votes, no one is expecting anyone else to win the East in 2022. The team returns quarterback C.J. Stroud, running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That’s just Ohio State’s big three. Ryan Day could have this team in the national championship conversation all season long, and it’s very easy to see the team going undefeated with a Big Ten title by season’s end. The remaining question: Where are the Buckeyes placed in the College Football Playoff rankings come December?

As far as Michigan is concerned, the defending champions had some roster turnover and did lose offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, a big loss on the coaching staff, to the Miami Hurricanes. The good news is, quarterbacks Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy are back, with the former in the slight lead for the job. Blake Corum is back at running back and Ronnie Bell leads the wide receiver group, returning from injury. Penn State runs it back with Sean Clifford at quarterback and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich goes into Year 2. It’ll be a big season for James Franklin as he tries to bounce back from a sloppy end to 2021.

The Spartans are fourth in a loaded division. This was a double-digit win team in 2021 and Mel Tucker proved he could be a really good coach and recruiter at the highest level. However, the team on paper itself seems to be a few steps behind Ohio State and Michigan. It could very well be a toss-up for third place between the Spartans and Penn State in 2022. Maryland has a fantastic offense if Taulia Tagovailoa remains consistent at quarterback. Can the Terrapins put it all together on the field?

Rutgers is still in the middle of a rebuild, but it was accelerated in 2021 with a surprise bowl berth in the Gator Bowl after Texas A&M dropped out due to COVID-19 issues. Despite the bowl-game loss, Greg Schiano’s crew got a taste of the postseason in only his second season back with the school. It’s an uphill climb in 2022 with a rough schedule, but the Scarlet Knights should be a tough out, even if a return to the postseason will be difficult. Indiana needs to rebuild after a 2-10 season, but with Tom Allen taking more defensive responsibilities and Connor Bazelak transferring in from Missouri, potentially taking over at quarterback, Indiana should be more competitive this fall.

247Sports' Big Ten media poll voted the same order 1-5, but had Indiana and Rutgers switched at the bottom of the division.

The West division is a little more open than the East, but Wisconsin is the favorite here. The biggest question mark is quarterback Graham Mertz, but with a solid defense and top-notch running game led by Braelon Allen, good luck beating up on Paul Chryst’s crew. At this point, the Badgers should return to the Big Ten Championship Game. The team also features one of the best defensive players in the game in linebacker Nick Herbig, who projects to be a nearly unstoppable force in 2022.

The Hawkeyes made the Big Ten title game last year, but were blown out by Michigan. The quarterback play is the team’s Achilles heel but the run game and defense should carry the group, like Wisconsin. Jack Campbell (LB) and Riley Moss (DB) are two of the best defenders in the Big Ten and could lead a solid Hawkeyes unit this fall. As far as Minnesota is concerned, P.J. Fleck is running it back with Tanner Morgan and Mohamed Ibrahim at quarterback and running back, respectively. The schedule could lead to some big wins, but it’s a matter of beating Wisconsin in the final regular-season game.

The Boilermakers are considered a dark horse in the conference because of Jeff Brohm’s outstanding job of building up the program over the last few years. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell is considered one of the best signal-callers in the conference and could put up huge numbers in 2022. The Huskers are the biggest question mark in the Big Ten. It’s a matter of will they or won’t they? Scott Frost is on the hot seat, there’s no doubt about that. However, with new quarterback Casey Thompson, a Texas transfer, the offense could be in good shape.

It’s just a matter of Nebraska putting it all together this season, consistently. Last season, the Huskers lost, practically, every game by a close margin. In fact, under Frost, Nebraska is 5-18 since 2018 in games decided by seven points or fewer and the team went 0-7 last year in those types of games. That’s simply not good. But there’s a silver lining. Nebraska outgained its opponents in every single one of those games in 2021, so it’s just a matter of finishing. Perhaps this is the year Frost and company get to a bowl game and he saves his job for 2023 and beyond.

Illinois and Northwestern are interesting because the two schools are essentially buried in the polls here. Nebraska basically has double the points in the poll than both schools. Bret Bielema did a nice job with the Fighting Illini in his first season, winning five games and the team upset Penn State on the road in 2021. Will there be progression? It remains to be seen. In the case of Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern, the team has a big offensive problem. But, for some reason, Fitzgerald manages to get his teams to bounce back in big ways after poor years. Heck, this is a team that made the Big Ten Championship Game twice in three years at one point.

247Sports' Big Ten media poll featured the exact same order 1-7 in the West Division.

(Photo: Justin Casterline/Getty Images, 247Sports)

Here we go, the Big Ten Championship Game, and it’s an Ohio State landslide. Every vote went to the Buckeyes winning the conference once again under Ryan Day. It’s just a matter of who the team will beat in Indianapolis. Wisconsin is the most popular pick, followed by Iowa and Minnesota. No matter what though, the Buckeyes come out on top so at this point, non-Ohio State fans might be hoping and praying there is a different outcome come December.

For comparison, the 247Sports' Big Ten media poll had mostly the same conference title game matchups, with all first-place votes going to Ohio State in the East, while Wisconsin had 12 first-place votes and Minnesota had two in the West Division. Iowa did not gain any first-place votes from 247Sports publishers.

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