Big Ten Media Days commence in Las Vegas Tuesday, as all 18 schools will be represented across three days to gear up for the upcoming season. As per tradition for 15 years, select members who cover the conference were asked to rate each school based on a points system, courtesy of Cleveland.com.
Despite falling short of a national title this past season, the Penn State Nittany Lions earned the top spot over the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes by a slim margin, as 11 voters are backing James Franklin and Co. compared to 10 for Ryan Day's Buckeyes.
It's easy to see why both teams find themselves at the top of the league. Each had transitional offseason periods, which saw defensive coordinator Jim Knowles swap teams and witness Will Howard depart for the NFL.
Even with the high expectations and much of their core returning, ESPN's Paul Finebaum doesn't trust the Nittany Lions to win it all.
“RC, give me that SEC card back again. Heather, you had me until you said number one in the country,” Finebaum said on "Get Up." "There is no way. Texas is the best team in the country. They are going to win the national championship. There is no way the Big Ten does it three years in a row."
To make matters worse, Finebaum doesn't trust Franklin either.
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"And certainly if I had to bet on somebody, I would never bet on James Franklin doing it. He’s a very good coach. He’s not a great coach. Penn State will not win the national championship.”
Thus far, while Franklin's Penn State coaching record may be impressive, his team continues to fall short. Penn State did the same in January, losing the Orange Bowl to Notre Dame thanks to a game-defining Drew Allar interception that led to a game-winning field goal.
Penn State last won a Big Ten Championship in 2016. That same year, pollsters picked the Buckeyes to win the league. Nearly a decade later, the domino effect of the Big Ten continues to weigh heavily.
Next month, preseason rankings will mean little as the season will officially get underway.