By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)
The Big10 is regularly called the toughest division in the CFSL. Well, not much has changed in this conference. They didn’t add any new teams and only lost one (Illinois). Time will tell if another conference can dethrone them as the best, but for right now, let’s look at how the ADs see this conference playing out.
Note: These rankings were created by asking every AD to rank their conference (except their team). Those rankings were compiled to create this list.
| Rank | Team | First Place Votes |
| 1 | USC | 5 |
| 2 | Michigan | 1 |
| 3 | Penn State | |
| 4 | Oregon | |
| 5 | Ohio State | |
| 6 | Michigan State |
The defending champs haven’t fallen off in the eyes of their enemies. Every AD in the Big10 picked them to win the conference (except for USC AD Jacob Cobb, who couldn’t rank his team). Despite their instant success under Cobb, the Trojans haven’t won a conference title since Season 10. We will see if they can live up to the hype.
Michigan, who won the conference last season, comes in second. Admittedly, there was a big gap between first and second. The gap from second to fourth was much closer. The Wolverines had a lot of turnover but also had a strong offseason. It will be up to former Baylor QB Windham Carter to lead Michigan to back-to-back Big10 Championships.
Penn State finished in 4th last season, but the ADs see them finishing in the top 3 this season. Penn State had a lot of turnover on offense, but their defense is largely the same. If the offense can find its groove early, this will be a dangerous team.
Oregon fell just behind Penn State in the rankings. Could the Ducks possibly be overlooked for the third straight season? AD Gavin Lussier has turned Oregon into a perennial giant killers. If he can work his magic again, they could sneak their way into the top 3.
Ohio State lands in the fifth spot. They didn’t have the season they wanted to have last season. However, they did have a strong off-season. It has been a while since the Buckeyes have been a true contender, but this season could be a big step in the right direction.
Michigan State takes the final spot. They may lack some of the top-end talent of the teams ahead of them, but they have a lot of depth. Pro-tip to all the other Big10 teams: don’t let the Spartans hang around. If you do you might be looking up at them in the conference standings.
