Penn State football and the Big Ten Conference will be entering a new era this coming season with the addition of four new members.
In the ever-changing landscape of college football, the tradition rich Big Ten has added Oregon, USC, Washington and UCLA from the now defunct Pac-12 Conference.
Tomorrow, the Big Ten Conference will host their annual Media Day at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and the question now becomes how will these new members change the landscape of the conference?
Ohio State and Michigan have dominated the conference for over a decade but teams such as Oregon, Washington and USC have the tradition and talent to challenge for the top spot in the Big Ten.
It goes without saying that the new additions will impact Penn State’s standing in the conference.
It’s not a secret to Penn State fans that the dominance of Ohio State and Michigan have been a stumbling block for the Nittany Lions and prevented them from competing in the College Football Playoffs.
Prior to the official release of the 2024 media predictions tomorrow, an unofficial poll from 27 conference writers has been released by Cleveland.com.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.According to this unofficial poll, the Big Ten writers are forecasting James Franklin’s team to finish 3rd in the conference.
Not surprisingly, Ohio State and Oregon were the overwhelming choices to finish as one and two in the Big Ten. Ohio State received 21 first place votes, while Oregon received six votes.
UNOFFICIAL 2024 BIG TEN MEDIA POLL
- Ohio State
- Oregon
- Penn State
- Michigan
- Iowa
- USC
- Wisconsin
- Nebraska
- Rutgers
- Washington
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Illinois
- Northwestern
- UCLA
- Michigan State
- Indiana
- Purdue
In terms of individual predictions, media writers have selected Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Michigan cornerback Will Johnson as preseason offensive and defensive players of the year.
Penn State will be represented in Indianapolis by head coach James Franklin, tight end Tyler Warren, defensive tackle Devon J-Thomas and safety Jaylen Reed.
Joe Smeltzer will be at Big Ten Media Day and providing coverage for Nittany Sports Now.
