Barrett, Lewis on preseason all-Big Ten list

Ohio State, Penn State, Northwestern and Wisconsin each placed two players on the preseason Big Ten all-conference list released Monday.

Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett and defensive end Tyquan Lewis were joined on the East Division team by Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Trace McSorley. Indiana linebacker Tegray Scales rounded out the lineup as chosen by a media panel.

Northwestern placed running back Justin Jackson and safety Goodwin Igwebuike on the West Division team, while Wisconsin had linebacker Jack Cichy and tight end Troy Fumagalli honored. Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell also made the West lineup.

Barkley is the only junior among the group. at the kickoff of the conference media days event Monday.

“College football has never been healthier. It’s also never been more fragile,” Delany said, citing major issues ranging from players safety and lawsuits to more minor conflicts like scheduling conflicts on Friday night with high school football games.

The FOX and ABC/ ESPN football deals run for six years, as does the basketball agreement with CBS.

The conference network extended its joint venture with FOX through 2032. BTN President Mark Silverman said ratings were up 5 percent last season, when the network showed more live events and studio hours than ever before. He also announced that former Big Ten stars Braylon Edwards of Michigan, James Laurinitis of Ohio State and Corey Wooton of Northwestern will join the broadcast team.

The deals had been in the works for some time. Delany said a variety of issues had dragged negotiations out longer than anticipated, among them “pushback” from high school coaches and administrators over the conference’s own Friday night telecasts.