It was a fantastic opening week in college football. Several dramatic finishes including two teams in the pre-season Top 5 being upset. Wisconsin led the way for the conference with one of the most talked about victories of the weekend as they edged out then ranked #3 LSU, 16-14. The Badgers have launched into the Top 25 in most polls. The Big Ten as a whole made a strong statement going 12-2 in the first week of action. Let's see how the conference stacks up in week 2.
1- Ohio State (1-0, 0-0)
Last week: Defeated Bowling Green 77-10
This week: vs. Tulsa
-Over 700 yards of offense. I get that it's Bowling Green but wow, still impressive.
2- Iowa (1-0, 0-0)
Last week: Defeated Miami-Ohio 45-21
This week: vs. Iowa State
- Defense had it's struggles once Josey Jewell was ejected but offense and special teams appeared strong in the opener.
3- Michigan (1-0, 0-0)
Last week: Defeated Hawaii 63-3
This week: vs. Central Florida
- Michigan looked the part against an absolute jet-lagged Hawaii squad. Competition will ramp up a bit this weekend.
4- Wisconsin (1-0, 0-0)
Last week: Defeated LSU 16-14
This week: vs. Akron
- Best win in the conference so far. We will see how QB Bart Houston responds after debuting against a top tier defense.
5- Michigan State (1-0, 0-0)
Last week: Defeated Furman 28-13
This week: BYE
- This appeared to be an odd open date for the Spartans but after a sluggish opener this might be the best thing for Sparty as they gear up for Notre Dame.
6- Nebraska (1-0, 0-0)
Last week: Defeated Fresno State 43-10
This week: vs. Wyoming
- Lots of good things from an emotional night for the Huskers, although the special teams game has plenty of work to do.
7- Indiana (1-0, 0-0)
Last week: Defeated Florida International 34-13
This week: vs. Ball State
- Offense doesn't quite resemble those of the past few years but defensive improvement was evident.
8- Penn State (1-0, 0-0)
Last week: Defeated Kent State 33-13
Next week: @ Pittsburgh
- Not the most impressive start but mistakes were limited and the offense could have some dimensions to it.
9- Illinois (1-0, 0-0)
Last week: Defeated Murray State 52-3
This week: vs. North Carolina
- This might be my biggest overreaction but Illinois did so much well in a game against a bad opponent. We will know more this week about Lovie and co.
10- Minnesota (1-0, 0-0)
Last week: Defeated Oregon State 30-23
This week: vs. Indiana State
- This was an odd game. 3 Gophers ejected for targeting and a strange decision to go for a 2 point conversion. Minnesota resembled a middle of the road Big Ten team. We will see how this team evolves.
11- Northwestern (0-1, 0-0)
Last week: Lost to Western Michigan 22-21
This week: Illinois State
- Don't read too much into this loss as Western Michigan is going to be a quality team. There were definitely concerning moments on both sides of the ball. All about adjustments w/ Coach Fitz.
12- Maryland (1-0, 0-0)
Last week: Defeated Howard 52-13
This week: Florida International
- Next to Ohio State, the Terps exploded offensively BUT it was Howard.
13- Purdue (1-0, 0-0)
Last week: Defeated Eastern Kentucky 45-24
This week: vs. Cincinnati
- Any win is a positive for Purdue. This might be one of the only weeks that Purdue does not hold down the bottom.
14- Rutgers (0-1, 0-0)
Last week: Lost to Washington 48-13
This week: vs. Howard
- That honor this week goes to Rutgers. In their defense they did play a very solid Washington team.
