USC football picked to finish 9th in Cleveland.com Big Ten preseason media poll
On Monday, Cleveland.com released its preseason Big Ten media poll. The writers picked the Trojans to finish in the middle of the conference at No. 9.
Penn State was picked to win the conference, narrowly edging out No. 2 Ohio State. The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes were followed by (in order) Oregon, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, and Nebraska prior to the Trojans.
Former Pac-12 foe Washington came in one spot behind USC at No. 10. The 11-18 spots featured (in order) Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Rutgers, UCLA, Maryland, Northwestern, and Purdue.
A ninth place finish in the Big Ten would certainly be a disappointing result for USC. Lincoln Riley and the Trojans will be looking to prove their doubters wrong on the field this fall. The goal is not to outperform this poll. The goal is to be a top-tier Big Ten team fighting for a College Football Playoff spot. Anything less than 9-3 would be a clear-cut disappointment for the Trojans.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
17 minutes ago
- USA Today
Wisconsin football linebacker named to Butkus Award watch list
Wisconsin football starting linebacker Christian Alliegro was named to the 2025 Dick Butkus Award preseason watch list on Wednesday. The rising junior defender was listed as one of 51 players to make the watch list for the award that annually honors the best linebacker in college football. The most noteworthy include Anthony Hill (Texas), Whit Weeks (LSU), C.J. Allen (Georgia), Taurean York (Texas A&M) and Deontae Lawson (Alabama). Including Alliegro, a total of 11 Big Ten defenders cracked the list, headlined by three Michigan Wolverines, a pair of Oregon Ducks and two Ohio State defenders. Notable recent winners include Georgia's Jalon Walker, Iowa's Jack Campbell, Georgia's Nakobe Dean, Georgia's Roquon Smith, Alabama's Reuben Foster, Notre Dame's Jaylon Smith and Manti Te'o and Boston College's Luke Kuechly. Alliegro enters his third year in Madison as one of Mike Tressel's most valuable individual playmakers. As a sophomore, the Connecticut native registered 66 total tackles (44 solo, 22 assisted), three sacks, and one pass defended across 12 appearances. On Nov. 2 against Iowa, Alliegro tallied 16 tackles -- the most for any Badger in a game all season. A member of Phil Steele's All-Big Ten fourth team, the defensive lynchpin also finished the 2024 campaign as one of the Big Ten's most prolific inside linebacker pass-rushers, finishing as its eighth-best ILB in that metric. Alliegro projects to line up alongside Darryl Peterson, Tackett Curtis and Mason Reiger as a linebacker during the 2025 season. That unit will look to jumpstart a defense tasked with handling some of the most potent offenses in college football this fall. Specifically, Wisconsin will take on Alabama, Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota in its third season with head coach Luke Fickell at the helm. Alliegro will captain his program's defense when it takes on Miami (OH) to start the season on Thursday, Aug. 28. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UNC linebacker named to Preseason Watch List for prestigious linebacker award
The North Carolina Tar Heels reshaped a good portion of their football roster through the transfer portal, including nine likely starters on defense. One of those nine starters recently earned preseason honors, ranking him amongst the best at his position across college football. Andrew Simpson, who transferred to UNC from Boise State in May, was recently named to the Butkus Award Preseason Watch List. This award, won by former Georgia standout Jalon Walker in 2024, is given annually to the nation's top linebacker. The Butkus Award semifinalists will then be announced November 4, finalists on Nov. 25 and the winner on Dec. 10. Simpson comes from a Broncos squad that made its College Football Playoff debut in December, losing 31-14 against Penn State in the quarterfinal round. Simpson totaled 140 tackles (94 solo), 12.5 sacks, five forces fumbles and three interceptions across his three years as a Bronco, including a career-best three forced fumbles in 2024. Now at North Carolina, Simpson will likely take over the starting middle linebacker spot previously occupied by Amare Campbell. The Tar Heels know how to produce linebackers in recent years, with names like Cedric Gray and Power Echols shining on their otherwise-lacking defensive unit. Simpson won't be the only newbie amongst UNC's linebacking corps, with Washington transfer Khmori House and Nebraska transfer Mikai Gbayor also coming to Chapel Hill. Simpson will now be guided by defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, who left Washington for North Carolina upon Bill Belichick's head coaching announcement. Ahead of a season with plenty of unfamiliar players, it's nice to see new Tar Heels getting preseason recognition. Winning the Butkus Award would be a nice cap to Simpson's collegiate career, but I imagine he'd rather help North Carolina reach greater team heights. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions. This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC linebacker Andrew Simpson named to Butkus Award Watch List
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
College football analyst gives bold prediction for Texas A&M program ahead of 2025 season
With the season-opening contest against UTSA nearing, a college football analyst is all-in on this year's Texas A&M football program. The first day of the Aggies' fall camp sessions kicked off Wednesday evening, as head coach Mike Elko prepares his team to face heavily-touted conference foes for the opportunity to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history. The new 12-team playoff format introduced last season gives teams like Texas A&M the chance to control their destiny, but any success will need to be earned. ESPN's computer model, which ranks the strength of schedule for every team in college football, placed the Aggies at No. 9, according to The Spun. Texas A&M has challenging road tests against Arkansas, LSU and Texas, along with a non-conference rematch at South Bend, Indiana, against Notre Dame scheduled. Even with those daunting games awaiting the program this upcoming season, On3 Sports college football analyst J.D. Pickell has the Aggies reaching the playoffs in Elko's second year at the helm: While Pickell's picks garnered much attention from disgruntled fans, he could have gained a few from Aggieland with his breakdown of this year's roster when he joined "The Paul Finebaum Show" this week. "I think if you were to give A&M a different logo, there would be a lot more people picking them to be in the College Football Playoff. Marcel Reed is back, he was impressive in flashes last year. The production, that I love, is back on offense. I love their running back room, I love Collin Klein, I love what Mike Elko's about too," Pickell said. Just days before his guest appearance with Paul Finebaum, Pickell analyzed A&M's schedule and formulated his game-by-game predictions for one of the most difficult schedules in the country. With the first day of fall camp behind the Aggies, there are still 30 days left until the 2025 roster gives glimpses of their potential this season. Last season left much to be desired, after Texas A&M went 7-1 to begin the 2024 campaign before eventually concluding the year with an 8-5 overall record. The eight-win season in Elko's first year was the first time the program has reached that mark in the win column since 2021. The return of every starter on the offensive line from last year's squad should help anchor the offense and give sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed time to find talented targets like transfers KC Concepcion (NC State), Mario Craver (Mississippi State) and many more promising athletes in the Aggie wide receiving corps. Texas A&M brings much-needed depth to the table in the secondary this season with transfers Jordan Shaw (Washington) and Julian Humphrey (Georgia) anchoring that unit on defense. Returners like Cashius Howell, Scooby Williams and Will Lee III will bring leadership and experience to the group this season as well. Only time will tell if Pickell's predictions will come to fruition, as the Aggies are gearing up for the season opener against the Roadrunners, which takes place on Saturday, Aug. 30, at Kyle Field in Bryan-College Station, Texas. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
