Ohio State (34 points), with quarterback J.T. Barrett (pictured), is a near-unanimous choice to win the Big Ten East Division crown. The ESPN College Football Preview is the only publication to peg the Buckeyes as a runner-up, second to Michigan. Writes Lindy's: "With so much roster turnover, this could be a down year, but the talent still screams 'championship contender.' ''
We took the Big Ten preseason rankings from 5 college football previews — Athlon, Lindy's, ESPN, Phil Steele's and The Sporting News — and developed a composite ranking of the East Division. Like the way The AP Top 25 is tabulated, rankings are based on a points system (first place = 7 points, second place = 6 points, seventh place = 1 point).