Where UW Huskies rank in Big Ten preseason media poll

The UW Huskies were picked to finish seventh out of 18 teams in the annual preseason Big Ten football media poll conducted by Cleveland.com.

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The Big Ten doesn’t release its own media poll, but Cleveland.com’s version has become widely accepted as the conference’s de facto official poll. The poll’s 31 voters included team beat writers, along with reporters who cover either the entire conference or the national college football landscape.

Ohio State was picked to win the Big Ten, followed closely by Oregon and defending national champion Indiana. USC was picked to finish fourth, Michigan was fifth and Penn State was sixth. Washington barely edged Iowa for the seventh spot.

Coming off a 9-4 campaign in 2025, the Huskies are looking to take another step forward in head coach Jedd Fisch’s third season at the helm.

Washington returns a good crop of talent on both sides of the ball, highlighted by dual-threat junior quarterback Demond Williams Jr. The Huskies also added potential impact players through both the transfer portal and the high school recruiting ranks, including five-star freshman offensive tackle Kodi Greene.

Washington kicks off the season against the cross-state rival WSU Cougars in the 118th Apple Cup on Sept. 6.

Cleveland.com’s 2026 preseason Big Ten media poll

Teams received 18 points for a first-place vote, 17 points for a second-place vote, and so on. The total points for each team are listed below, with the number of first-place votes in parentheses.

1. Ohio State (15) – 540
2. Oregon (11) – 527
3. Indiana (5) – 509
4. USC – 446
5. Michigan – 430
6. Penn State – 380
7. Washington – 366
8. Iowa – 361
9. Illinois – 304
10. Minnesota – 268
11. Nebraska – 246
12. Wisconsin – 207
13. UCLA – 199
14. Northwestern – 140
15. Maryland – 137
16. Michigan State – 99
17. Rutgers – 97
18. Purdue – 45

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