J.T. Barrett vs. Michigan 2016

Quarterback J.T. Barrett will lead the Big Ten favorites into the 2016 season, with Ohio State the choice of the cleveland.com preseason poill despite losing 16 starters.

(Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Picked by everyone a year ago, Ohio State didn't win a championship in 2015. After losing 16 starters as part of a record-breaking NFL Draft, the Buckeyes are right back as Big Ten favorites according to cleveland.com's sixth annual preseason poll.

Unlike last year, Ohio State wasn't a unanimous choice for 2016. But in a survey of writers who cover the Big Ten, 39 voters named the Buckeyes the overwhelming choice, with 27 predicting Ohio State as the Big Ten champ.

Michigan was the preseason choice of 11 voters, while Iowa, the heavy favorite to win the West Division, received just one vote to win the whole league.

Since 2011, when the Big Ten stopped gathering preseason picks from journalists, cleveland.com has conducted the most official preseason Big Ten poll. Every other major conference gathers an official poll and releases it as part of its preseason event.

The Big Ten will hold its two days of interviews and promotion in Chicago on Monday and Tuesday, and cleveland.com will be there. But this is the only preseason poll you'll get.

And it will probably be wrong.

This poll has never correctly picked the Big Ten champion in five tries. The Buckeyes got all 40 votes to win the league last year before Michigan State beat Iowa in the Big Ten Championship. The Hawkeyes, who went undefeated during the regular season, were picked fourth in the West in this poll a year ago.

Feel free to examine our other failures in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

This year, Michigan will at least challenge Ohio State in the East according to this poll. Voters were allowed to pick ties, and six of them did that for first-place in the East. The detailed East first-place breakdown went like this:

* Ohio State (25)

* Michigan (8)

* Ohio State, Michigan tie (5)

* Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State tie (1)

In the West, Iowa was the clear choice, more than the Buckeyes were:

* Iowa (32)

* Nebraska (3)

* Wisconsin (2)

* Iowa, Minnesota tie (1)

* Northwestern (1)

Voters picked full standings in each division, with seven points for a first-place vote down to one point for a seventh-place vote. Beat writers covering every team in the league voted, as did several writers who cover the conference as a whole.

Here are the overall predicted rankings in the divisions, with point totals and first-place votes.

EAST

1. Ohio State 260.5 (31)

2. Michigan 241 (14)

3. Michigan State 195.5 (1)

4. Penn State 155.5

5. Indiana 110

6. Maryland 81.5

7. Rutgers 52

WEST

1. Iowa 265 (33)

2. Nebraska 206 (3)

3. Wisconsin 194.5 (2)

4. Northwestern 171.5 (1)

5. Minnesota 132 (1)

6. Illinois 76.5

7. Purdue 46.5

Big Ten Championship

Ohio State over Iowa (24)

Michigan over Iowa (6)

Michigan over Wisconsin (2)

Michigan over Nebraska (2)

Ohio State over Minnesota (1)

Ohio State over Wisconsin (1)

Ohio State over Nebraska (1)

Michigan over Northwestern (1)

Iowa over Ohio State (1)

Big Ten Champion

Ohio State (27)

Michigan (11)

Iowa (1)