Rutgers Football lands sixth in East in Big Ten preseason poll

The college football season officially begins in just one month with the Big Ten schedule kicking off in five weeks.

To preview the season, Cleveland.com shared its 13th annual Big Ten preseason poll and Rutgers finds itself in a familiar position.

The publication, which takes votes from media within the conference, slotted the Scarlet Knights sixth for the third-consecutive year, beating out only Indiana in the East division. Rutgers made changes to its staff this offseason, most notably with the hire of offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, but there are still many question marks surrounding the team.

The poll picked Michigan to win the Big Ten, which would be its third-straight title. This breaks a stretch of three years where Ohio State was the preseason favorite. This is just the second year since 2015 where the Buckeyes were not picked to win the conference.

Marvin Harrison Jr. was selected as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Below, check out the full standings, according the Cleveland.com, along with predictions for the Big Ten Championship Game.

Big Ten East

1. Michigan (27 first-place votes) 248
2. Ohio State (8) 226
3. Penn State (2) 192
4. Maryland 143
5. Michigan State 105
6. Rutgers 74
7. Indiana 48

Big Ten West

1. Wisconsin (20) 233
2. Iowa (16) 232
3. Minnesota (1) 176
4. Illinois 152
5. Nebraska 116
6. Purdue 89
7. Northwestern 38

Big Ten Championship Game Predictions

• Michigan over Wisconsin (15)
• Michigan over Iowa (11)
• Michigan over Minnesota (1)
• Ohio State over Iowa (4)
• Ohio State over Wisconsin (4)
• Penn State over Iowa (1)
• Penn State over Wisconsin (1)