Nebraska, Wisconsin get the nod
The Big Ten no longer asks the media to vote for preseason favorites or players of the year (this year marks the debut of a "watch list" with five players from each of the new divisions named), so Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain Dealer organized a mini-media vote involving two beat writers for each of the 12 teams. Here are the results with Big Ten media days set to start Thursday.
Nebraska preseason Big Ten favorite, barely
Division predictions (first-place votes in parentheses)
* Voting on 6-5-4-3-2-1 point system
LEGENDS
1. Nebraska (19) 139
2. Michigan State (4) 118
3. Iowa 82
4. Michigan (1) 71
5. Northwestern 69
6. Minnesota 25
LEADERS
1. Wisconsin (22) 141
2. Ohio State (1) 113
3. Penn State (1) 95
4. Illinois 76
5. Purdue 52
6. Indiana 27
Title game matchups:
Nebraska over Wisconsin (10)
Wisconsin over Nebraska (7)
Wisconsin over Michigan State (3)
Nebraska over Ohio State (1)
Nebraska over Penn State (1)
Wisconsin over Michigan (1)
Michigan State over Wisconsin (1)
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (first-place votes in parentheses)
* Voting on 3-2-1 point system, with voters picking top three
1. Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan (14) 52
2. Dan Persa, QB, Northwestern (4) 26
3. Kirk Cousins, QB, Michigan State (2) 18
4. Edwin Baker, RB, Michigan State (1) 16
5. Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin (1) 14
6. Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin (2) 9
7. Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska 4
8. James White, RB, Wisconsin 2
9. Mike Brewster, C, Ohio State 2
10. Derek Moye, WR, Penn State 1
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (first-place votes in parentheses)
* Voting on 3-2-1 point system, with voters picking top three
1. Jared Crick, DL, Nebraska (15) 58
2. Lavonte David, LB, Nebraska (7) 37
3. Jerel Worthy, DL, Michigan State 10
4. Shaun Prater, CB, Iowa (1) 8
5. Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska (1) 7
6. John Simon, DL, Ohio State 6
7. Mike Mauti, LB, Penn State 5
8. Mike Martin, DL, Michigan 3
9. Nathan Williams, DL, Ohio State 2
Players who received a second- or third-place vote on one ballot: Chris Borland, LB, Wisconsin; Trenton Robinson, S, Michigan State; Micah Hyde, CB, Iowa; Kawann Short, DL, Purdue; Ricardo Allen, CB, Purdue; Mike Taylor, LB, Wisconsin
BEST COACH (first-place votes in parentheses)
Not Coach of the Year, but phrased as best coach, meaning coach you would take to lead a team this season
* Voting on 3-2-1 point system, with voters picking top three
1. Bret Bielema, Wisconsin (7) 35
2. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa (6) 31
3. Bo Pelini, Nebraska (3) 30
4. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern (4) 27
5. Mark Dantonio, Michigan State (4) 18
6. Brady Hoke, Michigan 2
7. Joe Paterno, Penn State 1
Thanks to Doug for organizing this, it was a good idea. Nothing terribly surprising, but I didn't expect first-place votes for Michigan or Penn State, and I definitely expected Ferentz to get the coaching nod. Bielema's respect level has skyrocketed in a short time. Here's the full list of voters:
Nebraska: Brian Christopherson, Lincoln Journal Star; Sam McKewon, Omaha World-Herald
Iowa: Marc Morehouse, Cedar Rapids Gazette; Andy Hamilton, Iowa City Press-Citizen
Michigan: Mark Snyder, Detroit Free Press; Kyle Meinke, AnnArbor.com
Minnesota: Marcus Fuller, St. Paul Pioneer Press; Phil Miller, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Northwestern: Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune; Lindsey Willhite, Daily Herald
Michigan State: Joe Rexrode, Lansing State Journal; Matt Charboneau, Detroit News
Wisconsin: Tom Mulhern, Wisconsin State Journal; Jeff Potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Ohio State: Matt Markey, Toledo Blade; Doug Lesmerises, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Penn State: Bob Flounders, Harrisburg Patriot-News; Jeff Rice, Centre Daily Times
Indiana: Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star; Dustin Dopirak, Bloomington Herald-Times
Purdue: Pete DiPrimio, Fort Wayne News-Sentinel; Mike Carmin, Lafayette Journal and Courier
Illinois: Bob Asmussen, Champaign News-Gazette; John Supinie, GateHouse News Service
