The Big Ten Football Media Days are set to take place this week from July 28-20 in Chicago. Not only does that mean that college football is right around the corner, but it means that Big Ten preseason polls are starting to hit the presses.
On Monday, the Big Ten media preseason poll for the upcoming 2026 season was released by Cleveland.com. Interestingly, the Big Ten conference itself does not release a formal official preseason poll. Instead, the poll from Cleveland.com has become the go-to preseason poll of the Big Ten for the last two decades.
In the 2026 preseason poll, the Big Ten's media members make a familiar mistake by doubting Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers.
Indiana not expected to win the Big Ten in preseason media poll
Despite coming off a perfect 16-0 season that culminated in a National Championship, the reigning Big Ten champion Hoosiers are not expected to win the conference this year according to the league's media members.
Instead, that choice goes to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State was picked to win the Big Ten, with Oregon claiming the No. 2 spot. The Buckeyes received 15 first-place votes, while Oregon received 11.
Indiana came in third in the poll and received five first-place votes. Here is a look at the full results:
NEW: Big Ten Preseason Media Poll via @clevelanddotcom👀
— On3 (@On3) July 27, 2026
Do you agree?🤔https://t.co/FF3YIjItzm pic.twitter.com/5GqpLYWwvs
When looking at the results of the poll, Indiana's upcoming schedule features a well-balanced slate. The Hoosiers will take on several heavy-hitters predicted to finish near the top of the league standings.
Marquee matchups include meetings with Ohio State (No. 1), Oregon (No. 2), USC (No. 4), Michigan (No. 5), and Washington (No. 7). Other opponents on Indiana's Big Ten schedule include Nebraska (No. 11), Northwestern (No. 14), Rutgers (No. 17), and Purdue (No. 18) in the conference slate.
Indiana still can't receive a Big Ten title prediction
All Curt Cignetti has done over the past two years is win. Just Google him. Since taking over for the program with the most losses in college football history, Cignetti is 27-2 and coming off a historic National Championship. Furthermore, he is an eye-popping 18-1 in Big Ten games at Indiana. What more does he have to do to receive a Big Ten title prediction?
Cignetti was doubted when he took the Indiana job. Going into his first season, the Big Ten media picked Indiana to finish 17th out of 18 teams in the league. Even after going 11-1 with a trip to the College Football Playoff in his first season, Cignetti and the Hoosiers were still not widely viewed as title contenders heading into 2026. How did that work out?
But Hoosier fans aren't worried that the Big Ten media doesn't expect Cignetti and the Hoosiers to win the league this season. All that matters is that Cignetti is leading the way. He has firmly established himself as the best coach in college football, and to doubt him after what he has done in Bloomington would simply be foolish.
Moving forward, it's clear that the Hoosiers have plenty of staying power with Cignetti at the helm. Needless to say, IU fans have all the faith in the world in their head coach.
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