No Surprise: Big Ten Media Picks

Greg Jones - Media preseason pick as Defensive Player of the Year

Dave Thurman (9:16 am)

For Buckeye fans the best surprise is no surprise, as Ohio State was tabbed by the media as the favorite to win the conference again, in the annual preseason poll.  Predictably, Iowa and Wisconsin were the choices for second and third. 

As for Big Ten Player of the Year predictions, for the second straight season the choice for Defensive Player of the Year is linebacker Greg Jones of Michigan State, and the pick for Offensive Player of the Year is Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor. 

It is easy to forget that Pryor was tabbed last season by the media, but didn't live up to the hype until the season ending Rose Bowl victory over Oregon.  Jones, of course, did not disappoint, racking up 154 tackles on his way to earning the Defensive Player of the Year in the conference. 

Surely, none of the media choices are a surprise, though Greg Jones could have competition from Adrian Clayborn of Iowa and Ohio State's Cameron Heyward.  And, as much as I love Pryor, my money is on Wisconsin's talented power back John Clay, running behind a huge and experienced line.  All he did last year was run for 1517 yards and 18 touchdowns.

The media picks kick off an exciting couple of days in Chicago, and today we hear from the coaches of all eleven teams.  Stay tuned for further updates.

Source: http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/080210aab.html