Nebraska Picked Fifth In Big Ten West In Preseason Poll - Why?

Nebraska was picked to finish 5th in the 2023 Big Ten preseason poll as voted on by media members.

Michigan was picked as the overall favorite to beat Ohio State (again!) and win the Big Ten.

The poll results are below.

Question - if both Nebraska and Wisconsin have first-year head coaches, why is Wisconsin picked to finish first in the West while Wisconsin is picked to finish first? The explanation is in the video below. It’s fairly short. Yay.

East

• 1-Michigan (27 1st place votes)
• 2-Ohio State (8)
• 3-Penn State (2)
• 4-Maryland
• 5-Michigan State
• 6-Rutgers
• 7-Indiana

West

• 1-Wisconsin (20)
• 2-Iowa (16)
• 3-Minnesota (1)
• 4-Illinois
• 5-Nebraska
• 6-Purdue
• 7-Northwestern

The ChatGPT Summary:

Jon discusses the Big Ten preseason predictions voted on by the media. Michigan is favored over Ohio State in the Big Ten East. The predicted order in the East is Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and Maryland. The West has Wisconsin in first place, followed by Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and Nebraska. Purdue and Northwestern round out the rankings.

Jon explains the rationale behind Wisconsin being ranked first, citing their new head coach, Luke Fickell, and their track record. Iowa’s predictability and manageable schedule contribute to their high ranking. Meanwhile, Nebraska is placed fifth due to past underperformance, as media members aim for credible predictions.

Jon concludes by inviting comments on how others would have ranked the teams and emphasizes the anticipation for the upcoming season and Big Ten Media Days.

(That’s not a bad summary from AI.)