Since IlliniGuys.com was again not asked to participate in the league's unofficial annual Cleveland.com poll/selections, we thought we'd do our own.

July 27, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Hoosier Huddle)

CHICAGO — We have a new policy here at IlliniGuys.com. Until we’re given a logical and sound reason to do otherwise, we do not bet against Indiana or predict anybody else to win the Big Ten Football Coach of the Year Award other than Mr. Curtis John Cignetti. End of discussion.

Therefore, despite an immense feeling among some of my colleagues regionally and nationally to go with Ohio State or Oregon, the head football coach of the Indiana University tackle football team is the pick for this honor because when you come into your third year in Bloomington, Ind., as the defending national champion and still batting a perfect 1.000 as the Big Ten Hayes–Schembechler Coach of the Year recipient, picking somebody else to win it is just seems like a ridiculous endeavor.

Yes, we’re aware Indiana is losing the Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft - Fernando Mendoza. And it seems Cignetti himself is aware of this fact too.

“You know, our last five or six quarterbacks have all been player of the year in the league offensively, except Kurtis Rourke, our first year here, because Dillon Gabriel went to the Heisman, but Rourke led the country in QBR. So, we got [Texas Christian University transfer] Josh Hoover, and then he started a lot of games, threw for a lot of yards, a lot of touchdown passes, and won a lot of games. And it's a process." Cignetti said earlier this month on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams.

So, just because some of our friends who were part of the voting panel for the Cleveland.com Big Ten Preseason Big Ten Poll (because the conference does not officially publish a preseason media poll) decided Ohio State and Oregon would take the top two spots in the league, does not mean we need to submit to their peer pressure.

By our counts, Cignetti’s Indiana program has lost one game to a Big Ten opponent in 18 attempts and that 2024 Ohio State squad went on to hoist the national championship trophy. Yes, we know this new-look Indiana team has a 2025 Big Ten Championship Game rematch against the Buckeyes in Bloomington, along with a home game against Southern California. Yes, we know they have road trips to Nebraska, Michigan and Washington. We’ll go ahead and place our vote toward the man and the program that has quickly dominated a league that boasts itself as having the nation’s best top end teams in all of college football.

What’s the worst thing that could happen by doing this? I mean, it’s not the team I picked to win the conference last season started off 0-3 in league play with back-to-back losses to UCLA and Northwestern only to terminate its head coach by the second week of October. Narrator: That’s exactly what happened in the 2025 IlliniGuys.com Preseason Big Ten Football Ballot.

Well…only one way to go up from that, right?!

The following is the IlliniGuys.com All-Big Ten Preseason Honors, First-Team Selections & Predicted Order of Finish:

Hayes–Schembechler Coach of the Year: Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Graham–George Offensive Player of the Year: Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
Nagurski–Woodson Defensive Player of the Year: John Henry Daley, DE, Michigan
Thompson–Randle El Freshman of the Year: Iose Epenesa, DE, Iowa
Griese–Brees Quarterback of the Year: Dante Moore, Oregon
Ameche–Dayne Running Back of the Year: Waymond Jordan, Southern California
Richter–Howard Receiver of the Year: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
Kwalick–Clark Tight End of the Year: Ben Brahmer, Penn State
Rimington–Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year: Carter Smith, Indiana
Smith–Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year: John Henry Daley, Michigan
Butkus–Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year: Rolijah Hardy, Indiana
Tatum–Woodson Defensive Back of the Year: Brandon Finney, Oregon
Bakken–Andersen Kicker of the Year: Nico Radicic, Indiana
Eddleman–Fields Punter of the Year: Rhys Dakin, Michigan State
Rodgers–Dwight Return Specialist of the Year: Koi Perich, Oregon

All-Big Ten First-Team
Offense
QB: Dante Moore - Oregon
HB: Waymond Jordan - Southern California
WR: Jeremiah Smith - Ohio State
WR: Charlie Becker - Indiana
TE: Ben Brahmer, Penn State
OT: Carter Smith - Indiana
OG: Trevor Buhr - Penn State
C: Iapani Laloulu - Oregon
OG: Kade Pieper - Iowa
OT: Austin Siereveld - Ohio State

Defense
DE/Edge: John Henry Daley - Michigan
DT: Bear Alexander - Oregon
DT: Tyrique Tucker - Indiana
DE/Edge: Matayo Uiagalelei - Oregon
LB: Rolijah Hardy - Indiana
LB: Isaiah Jones - Indiana
LB: Daniel Wingate - Maryland
CB: Brandon Finney - Oregon
CB: Jyaire Hill - Michigan
Safety: Earl Little - Ohio State
Safety: Zach Lutmer - Iowa

Special Teams
PK: Nico Radicic - Indiana
P: Rhys Dakin - Michigan State
KR/PR: Koi Perich - Oregon

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Indiana
2. Oregon
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan
5. Southern California
6. Penn State
7. Washington
8. Illinois
9. Maryland
10. UCLA
11. Wisconsin
12. Iowa
13. Minnesota
14. Nebraska
15. Michigan State
16. Northwestern
17. Rutgers
18. Purdue