Breaking down the 2026 Big Ten Preseason Poll and how many teams could make the College football Playoff

The 2026 college football season has officially arrived in the Midwest with the arrival of Big Ten Media Days, and with that comes a chance to do something the Big Ten won’t. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Stefan Krajisnik and Andrew Gillis reveal their ballots as three of the 31 voters in cleveland.com’s preseason Big Ten Media Poll. The trio share where they ranked Ohio State and who they picked to win Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year. They also discuss who could win Coach of the Year, how many teams the conference will get in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff and which coach should be on the hot seat. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk and sign up to get text messages from experts Stephen Means, Stefan Krajisnik and Andrew Gillis at 614-350-3315. Get the insider analysis, have your voice heard on the Buckeye Talk podcast and connect with the best Buckeye community out there.