COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If you think Ohio State football dominates the Big Ten during the regular season, think about what the Buckeyes do in the preseason.

The Buckeyes are once again the favorites in the Big Ten, a strong but far from unanimous pick in the seventh annual cleveland.com Big Ten preseason poll.

The Buckeyes were predicted to win the Big Ten by 29 of our 38 voters from around the conference. Wisconsin and Penn State each received four votes, while Michigan earned one.

It's the third straight year and the fourth time in the last five years that the Buckeyes were the choice of this poll, which serves as the closest thing to an official Big Ten prediction since the league doesn't conduct its own balloting.

The Buckeyes have never won the Big Ten when this poll has picked them to do so. Tabbed the preseason favorites in 2013, 2015 and 2016, they saw Michigan State, Michigan State again and Penn State win the title those years. In 2014, the Buckeyes weren't the pick - and that year they did win.

So a poll of the most experienced and dedicated writers in the league is zero for six in picking the conference champ since this poll began in 2011. This is a comprehensive group, with at least one writer that covers each of the 14 schools taking part, along with several writers who cover the Big Ten as a whole.

While the Buckeyes were overwhelming favorites in the Big Ten East, Wisconsin was just as heavy a pick in the Big Ten West, getting 31 out of 38 first-place votes. Ohio State received 34 first-place votes, with four of those 34 voters picking the Buckeyes to share first place with Penn State.

The Nittany Lions in the East and Northwestern in the West were solidly picked to finishe second. The bottom of the divisions was also obvious. Rutgers received all 38 last-place votes in the East, while in the West, Purdue and Illinois each received 19 votes for sixth and 19 votes for last to finish in a tie.

Here are the full standings as predicted by our voters. All voters ranked teams one through seven and could include ties. Points were assigned on a reserve basis, with seven points for first place, six for second and so on.

BIG TEN EAST

1. Ohio State, 260 points (34 first-place votes)

2. Penn State, 231.5 (7)

3. Michigan, 192 (1)

4. Michigan State, 128

5. Indiana, 114

6. Maryland, 100.5

7. Rutgers, 38

(first-place votes equal more than 38 because of some ties for first)

BIG TEN WEST

1. Wisconsin, 259 points (31 first-place votes)

2. Northwestern, 219 (5)

3. Nebraska, 176.5 (2)

4. Iowa, 164.5

5. Minnesota, 131

6. Purdue, 57

6. Illinois, 57

Here were the predictions for the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis on Dec. 2.

Ohio State over Wisconsin (22)

Ohio State over Northwestern (5)

Ohio State over Nebraska (2)

Wisconsin over Ohio State (3)

Wisconsin over Penn State (1)

Penn State over Wisconsin (4)

Michigan over Wisconsin (1)

As for the playoff hopes of the conference, all 38 voters thought the Big Ten would get at least one team in the playoff.

Thirty-four voters said one Big Ten team will make the playoff: Ohio State 26, Wisconsin 4, Penn State 3, Michigan 1.

Four voters said the Big Ten would get two teams in the playoff. Three said it would be Ohio State and Penn State, and one said it would be Ohio State and Wisconsin.