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Power 5 Football: Who’s taking the conference crowns in 2021?

By Austin Lloyd

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - DECEMBER 07: Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes holds the Big Ten Championship trophy after a win over the Wisconsin Badgers at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 07, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - DECEMBER 07: Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes holds the Big Ten Championship trophy after a win over the Wisconsin Badgers at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 07, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Big 12: Iowa State Cyclones

Definitely the boldest take on this list. ISU is to a point now as a program where they are consistently scaring the Sooners out of their socks.

The Cyclones are expected by many (including myself) to be a top team this season, top-15 at the very least. And they are coming off of a year that saw them in the Big 12 title game against, you guessed it, Oklahoma.

Iowa State had won their regular-season meeting with OU in 2020 but lost the postseason rematch. All they have to do to take the conference crown is to not do that in 2021. How hard can that be, assuming that you will have already beaten them once?

Big Ten: Ohio State Buckeyes

The Big Ten will likely see some of the most change of the Power 5 leagues from where last season left them. Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan, and even Minnesota should all be expected to exceed their standards of play from 2020.

However, while all of that may be accurate, Ohio State has been the favorite to win the conference every year in recent memory, and the Buckeyes were perhaps the biggest name in their league to actually improve despite having to work with a COVID-riddled CFB landscape.

Everybody and their mother knows that Michigan doesn’t stand a chance against the Buckeyes, and the same can be said for Minnesota. Also, Penn State had its moment back in 2016 and nothing came of it.

Wisconsin may have some of the strongest odds, alongside Iowa and Indiana. But unfortunately, they all fail to look the part as well, at least when compared to the might of OSU. As lame as it may be to admit, the Bucks are the clear frontrunner here.

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