Should Oregon be the favorite to win the Big Ten?
College Football Enquirer co-hosts Andy Staples and Steven Godfrey discuss the Big Ten preseason poll. Should Oregon be the favorites and could Michigan make the playoff? Check out the full conversation on the "College Football Enquirer" podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
Cleveland.com does a preseason Big Ten poll.
Also, our friends Bill Andis and Doug Lamaris do their own Big Ten preseason poll.
Mm-hmm.
And I found very interesting that Ohio State picked first in both of those.
Which, look, Ohio State has been the most consistent program in college football f- probably throughout college football history.
Okay.
But I don't know.
I probably would've gone Oregon- Oh, I- this year based on what everybody brings back.
But I, but I, I can certainly entertain Ohio State as a, as a potential number one.
But, but I, I'm fascinated by that.
And then, and then where does Indiana fall?
They kind of fell number three in both.
And then right around the cut line of, 'cause we, we think f- you know, between four and five is probably the, the CFP cut line.
The, the- Mm-hmm that's where the two polls differed.
One had Michigan number four and USC five, and one had USC four- Ah and Michigan five.
And that- That's interesting could make all the difference.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That is kind of what I would focus on.
I feel like Ohio State with a returning quarterback is kind of a default mode setting- Mm-hmm for Big Ten riders.
That doesn't surprise me or shock me at all.
It's not that different than the way we used to do it in the SEC coun- you know, in SEC country.
We're just assuming th- something, someone like an Alabama or a Georgia, an Urban Meyer Florida.
With Julian Sayin coming back and the, and the level of expect- like, the baseline for Ohio State, that doesn't shock me too much.
I know Oregon fans will get mad, but that's, it's also, these are sports writers.
They're not scientists.
I'm way more interested in that cut line, because you wanna talk about affecting fates, Andy.
You wanna talk about seismic impact.
The idea of first-year Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham nudging out Lincoln Riley's USC from playoff contention, massive reverberation.
Well, and also if we know our history.
Yes, sir.
Lincoln Riley's first year at USC, the Caleb Williams Heisman year.
Who beat them twice?
Mm-hmm.
Who kept them- out of the playoff?
Yeah.
Well, that would be one Kyle Whittingham and the Utah Utes.
And, uh-huh, uh-huh.
