The Big Ten had just three members finish in the final top 25 of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, but Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] sure felt more were deserving of a spot in the top 25 at the end of the 2022 season. Franklin’s ballot in the coaches poll was released at the end of the season and it included two Big Ten teams that failed to reach the top 25.
Penn State finished at no. 7 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll following the conclusion of the bowl season. Michigan (no. 3) and Ohio State (no. 4) were the only other Big Ten teams in the final poll of the year (the same is true for the AP Top 25). But Franklin included two schools from the Big Ten West on his final ballot; Iowa and Minnesota.
Penn State faced Minnesota this season and won 45-17 against a Gophers squad playing without its starting quarterback, Tanner Morgan. Penn State did not play Iowa in the 2022 season.
Here is how James Franklin voted in his final USA TODAY Sports coaches poll for the season. Each school’s final ranking in the official coaches poll and how Franklin’s ballot differs from the final vote are also noted.