Big Ten media preseason poll: Preston Stone won’t be enough for David Braun’s Wildcats

Cleveland.com released their 15th annual Preseason Big Ten Football Rankings Monday morning, naming Penn State the top contender for the first time. The Nittany Lions, who haven’t won the conference title since 2016, received 11 of 25 first-place votes and will rely heavily on third-year starting quarterback Drew Allar. 

A strong quarterback will make or break a handful of Big Ten programs this season, including David Braun’s Northwestern Wildcats. Northwestern finished No. 16 of 18 conference teams last season, with a 4-8 (2-7 Big Ten) record, and this season isn’t looking much better.

Stephen Means reported Northwestern is expected to finish at No. 17 in conference, above only Purdue. A total of 24 voters participated in the rankings, which Cleveland.com began in 2010 when the Big Ten stopped organizing the poll. Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin and Maryland all received last-place votes.

The ranking is an unfortunate strike against a Wildcat football program that’s made a considerable offseason acquisition in Preston Stone. 

A transfer quarterback out of SMU, Stone signed to play for Braun back in December. 

However, the addition of an experienced starter wasn’t enough to boost voters’ expectations for Northwestern this season, given other factors at play.

📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp 

The Wildcats’ 20-athlete 2025 recruiting class is ranked No. 17 in the Big Ten and No. 66 nationally, though none are four- or five-star recruits, per 247Sports. This season, Northwestern is set for tough road games against Tulane, Penn State and Illinois, as well as challenging home matchups with Oregon and Michigan.