Ohio State is projected to finish second in the Big Ten behind Penn State this season, according to an unofficial preseason poll of Big Ten and national college football media members.
In a survey of 54 media members – including beat writers from all 18 schools and 20 national writers – conducted by Kings of the North, Penn State was projected to finish first in the Big Ten standings by 35 voters. Ohio State received 18 first-place votes while Oregon received the only other first-place vote.
Thirty voters predicted that Penn State would win the Big Ten Championship Game while 22 picked Ohio State to win the Big Ten title game and two picked Oregon to win the conference championship game. 43 of 54 voters picked Ohio State and Penn State to meet in the Big Ten Championship Game, with 23 of those voters picking a Penn State win and 20 of those voters picking an Ohio State win.
Penn State was also picked as the favorite to win the Big Ten in a separate preseason poll conducted by cleveland.com, though less decisively in that poll, with 11 of 24 voters picking the Nittany Lions to win the conference, 10 picking the Buckeyes to win the Big Ten, Oregon receiving two first-place votes and Michigan landing one.
To make good on those projections, Penn State will have to beat Ohio State for the first time since 2016. The Buckeyes have beaten the Nittany Lions in each of the last eight years, but Penn State enters 2025 with perhaps its strongest roster of the James Franklin era. Like Ohio State last year, the Nittany Lions return a multitude of veteran stars who chose to stay at Penn State for their senior seasons rather than enter the NFL draft, including quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen and defensive linemen Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant, among others.
Ohio State is projected to have both the offensive and defensive player of the year in the Big Ten. Buckeye safety Caleb Downs received 43 of 50 first-place votes for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, with no other player receiving more than two. Buckeye wide receiver Jeremiah Smith received 39 of 50 first-place votes for Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, with Allar receiving 10 and Singleton receiving one.
Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles (2) also received votes for defensive player of the year while quarterback Julian Sayin (4) also received votes for offensive player of the year as each voter selected three players with first-place votes worth three points, second-place votes worth two and third-place votes worth one.
All 54 voters expect the Big Ten to have at least three teams in the College Football Playoff. 35 voters predicted four Big Ten teams will make the CFP while 19 voters predicted three Big Ten teams will make the playoff.
The full results of the Kings of the North Preseason Big Ten Poll:
Big Ten Predicted Order of Finish
1. Penn State (35 first-place votes)
2. Ohio State (18)
3. Oregon (1)
4. Illinois
5. Michigan
6. Indiana
7. USC
8. Nebraska
9. Iowa
10. Washington
11. Minnesota
12. Wisconsin
13. Michigan State
14. UCLA
15. Rutgers
16. Maryland
17. Northwestern
18. PurduePredicted Big Ten championship game winner
Penn State: 30
Ohio State: 22
Oregon: 2Predicted Big Ten championship game matchups
Penn State over Ohio State: 23
Ohio State over Penn State: 20
Penn State over Oregon: 4
Penn State over Illinois: 2
Penn State over Michigan: 1
Ohio State over Oregon: 1
Ohio State over Michigan: 1
Oregon over Penn State: 1
Oregon over Ohio State: 1
How many Big Ten teams will make the playoff?
4 – 65%
3 – 35%
5 – or more 0%
2 – or fewer 0%Defensive Player of the Year
50 voters (4 from team ranking didn't vote)
3 points for first-place vote, 2 points for second, 1 point for third
1. Caleb Downs (43 first-place votes), 140 points
2. Dani Dennis-Sutton (2), 34
3. Matayo Uiagalelei (2), 31
4. Dillon Thieneman, 22
5. Mikail Kamara (1), 20
6. Koi Perich (1), 16
7. Gabe Jacas, 7
T8. Xavier Scott (1), 6
T8. Zane Durant, 6
10. Jaishawn Barham, 4
11. Derrick Moore, 3
T12. Bryce Boettcher, 2
T12. Sonny Styles, 2
T12. Aiden Fisher, 2
T12. D'Angelo Ponds, 2
T16. Rayshaun Benny, 1
T16. Ernest Hausmann, 1
T16. Kamari Ramsey, 1
Offensive Player of the Year
50 voters (4 from team rankings didn't vote)
3 points for first-place vote, 2 points for second, 1 point for third
1. Jeremiah Smith (39 first-place votes), 137 points
2. Drew Allar (10), 77
3. Nick Singleton (1), 40
4. Makhi Hughes, 14
5. Fernando Mendoza, 7
6. Luke Altmyer, 5
7. Julian Sayin, 4
T8. Elijah Sarratt, 3
T8. Darius Taylor, 3
T10. Ja'Kobi Lane, 2
T10. Jonah Coleman, 2
T10. Trebor Pena, 2
T13. Dylan Raiola, 1
T13. Nico Iamaleava, 1
T13. Denzel Boston, 1
T13. Demond Williams Jr., 1
As one of the 54 voters in the poll, here’s what my ballot looked like:
Big Ten Predicted Order of Finish
1. Penn State
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Illinois
5. Michigan
6. Indiana
7. Washington
8. USC
9. Nebraska
10. Iowa
11. Michigan State
12. UCLA
13. Wisconsin
14. Minnesota
15. Rutgers
16. Maryland
17. Northwestern
18. Purdue
Predicted Big Ten Championship Game
Penn State over Ohio State
(Note: I am predicting that Ohio State will beat Penn State in the regular season before losing to Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game, but factored the Big Ten Championship Game result into my predicted order of finish.)
How many Big Ten teams will make the playoff? 4
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year
1. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
2. Dani Dennis-Sutton, DE, Penn State
3. Matayo Uiagalelei, DE, Oregon
Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year
1. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
2. Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State
3. Luke Altmyer, QB, Illinois
