The Ohio State Buckeyes open the season at No. 1, leading a preseason top five that looks awfully familiar to anyone who followed last year's chase for the national title. What the poll makes clear is that the road to the championship runs through the Big Ten.
Wisconsin, Penn State, and Minnesota follow at Nos. 2, 3, and 4, meaning four of the nation's five best teams — at least on paper — come from the same conference. That quartet has set the standard for depth, talent, and consistency, and voters clearly see no reason to expect a shake-up before the puck drops.
The Huskies, checking in at No. 5, are the lone interloper — the one program crashing the party and proving that elite hockey exists outside the Big Ten's borders. Every team starts at 0-0, and preseason rankings are nothing more than a promise. But the promise here is straightforward: if you want to hoist a trophy this spring, you will likely have to go through Columbus, Madison, University Park, or Minneapolis to get it.
Data via ESPN · Summarized by D1Ball's editorial engine from official statistics.
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