The Ohio State Buckeyes have been picked to win the Big Ten in preseason voting by media that cover the conference.

The highly-regarded Buckeyes will be seeking their fourth consecutive Big Ten title and third straight appearance in the National Championship Game.  They return 20 starters from last year’s talented squad.

Wisconsin and Illinois were picked to finish second and third.

The USC Trojans have been picked to win the Pac-10 in the conference’s annual preseason media poll.

USC received 38 of 39 first-place votes in the poll, which has correctly picked the Pac-10 champion eight straight times.

Arizona State, Oregon, and Cal were picked to finish second, third, and fourth respectively.

The Montana Grizzlies have been picked to win the Big Sky Conference in preseason voting by Big Sky coaches and media members that cover the conference.

Montana has won 10 straight Big Sky Conference titles and is undefeated in conference games over the past two seasons.  The Grizzlies went 11-0 in regular season play in 2007 before losing in the Division I-AA playoffs.

Eastern Washington and Montana State were picked to finish second and third.

The Massachusetts Minutemen have been picked to win the CAA, the nation’s strongest Division I-AA conference, in voting by the league’s head coaches and select media members that cover the league.

UMass was picked to win the CAA Championship Game and the league’s North Division title, with New Hampshire and Maine finishing second and third in the North Division.

The Richmond Spiders were picked to win the CAA’s South Division before falling to the Minutemen in the league’s title game.  James Madison and Delaware were picked to finish second and third in the South Division.

The Fresno State Bulldogs and the Boise State Broncos have both been picked to win the 2008 WAC title, with the league’s coaches picking Fresno State to win and the media giving the nod to Boise State.

Fresno State received seven of nine first-place votes from the coaches, while Boise State got 25 first-place votes and Fresno State received 20 in the media poll.

Nevada and Hawaii were picked to finish third and fourth in both polls.

BYU went undefeated in conference play in 2007, racking up an 8-0 record in the MWC, enroute to an 11-2 overall record and a Number 14 ranking in the final AP poll.

The highly-regarded Cougars were followed in the preseason poll by Utah, Texas Christian, and New Mexico, who were picked to finish second, third, and fourth respectively.

The Tigers were chosen as the ACC’s best team in voting by media members that cover the league, with the results being announced today at the ACC Media Days event in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Clemson is a heavy favorite to win the ACC’s Championship Game and Atlantic Division, with Wake Forest and Florida State picked to finish second and third in the Atlantic.

Virginia Tech was picked to win the league’s Coastal Division, narrowly edging North Carolina for the top spot.  Miami was picked to finish third.

Clemson’s selection as the team to beat ends Florida State’s unprecedented 16-year run as the preseason pick to win the ACC title.

The Hawaii Warriors scored a major coup for their 2009 recruiting class on Friday, landing California prep star Corey Nielsen.

Nielsen, a 5-11, 185-pound quarterback, was one of the country’s  most prolific passers last season as a junior at Gahr High School in Cerritos, California, throwing for 4,363 yards and 35 touchdowns.  His 4,363 passing yards was the nation’s second highest total.

Nielsen chose Hawaii over Arizona, UCLA, Cal, and Stanford among others.

The Western Michigan Broncos added a top prospect to their 2009 recruiting class on Friday, landing in-state prep star Josh Hadel.

Hadel, a 6-6, 275-pound offensive guard, will be a senior this Fall at Gladstone High School in Gladstone, Michigan.  He is considered one of the top high school players in the state.

Hadel chose Western Michigan over Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and Navy among others.

The South Carolina Gamecocks snared a top prospect for their 2009 recruiting class on Friday, landing highly-rated Georgia wide receiver DeAngelo Smith.

A 5-11, 180-pound speedster, Smith caught 30 passes for 300 yards and 11 touchdowns last season as a junior at Camden High School in Kingsland, Georgia.

Smith chose South Carolina over Clemson, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee among others.