Maryland football picked to finish 6th in Big Ten East in media poll

Maryland football was predicted to finish sixth in the Big Ten East in a Cleveland.com media poll released on Friday. The only East team the Terps finished ahead of in the 39 Big Ten writers was Rutgers. Last season, the poll predicted the Terps would place fifth and though they finished in a tie for sixth.

The poll has Ohio State as the overwhelming regional favorite with 27 votes for first place, followed by Michigan with eight. The West region is lead by Iowa with 33 votes, followed by Nebraska (3), Wisconsin (2), Minnesota (1) and Northwestern (1). The Buckeyes are Big Ten Champion favorites ahead of Michigan (11) and Iowa (1).

The poll has been wrong in five consecutive seasons, a fact the site didn't shy away from:

The Big Ten will hold its two days of interviews and promotion in Chicago on Monday and Tuesday, and cleveland.com will be there. But this is the only preseason poll you'll get.

And it will probably be wrong.

This poll has never correctly picked the Big Ten champion in five tries. The Buckeyes got all 40 votes to win the league last year before Michigan State beat Iowa in the Big Ten Championship. The Hawkeyes, who went undefeated during the regular season, were picked fourth in the West in this poll a year ago.

Feel free to examine our other failures in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

But that sixth-place spot feels about right for a Maryland team that went 3-9 last season.