Week 1 of the Big Ten season is in the books. Ohio State notched an important win for the Big Ten over the SEC. Michigan football and others took care of business, with only two teams in the conference suffering losses.
Another big Saturday looms, especially for Michigan football taking part in a top-25 matchup with an SEC opponent. Yet, with each Big Ten team having played one game, here's how the conference stacks up.
1. Ohio State 1-0
The Buckeyes beat the preseason No. 1 team in Texas and made Arch Manning look bad in the process. While Ohio State didn’t set the world on fire on offense either, they should change that this weekend against Grambling.
2. Penn State 1-0
I thought about putting Penn State at number one, but I don’t want to crown them just yet. They took care of business against Nevada and will look to do the same this week against Florida International.
3. Michigan 1-0
I put Michigan over Oregon and Illinois due to the competition level. I’m not saying New Mexico was a high-quality opponent, but it was over who those two played. Michigan can show what kind of season it’s going to be against No. 18 Oklahoma Saturday evening. The Wolverines will be tested defensively while Bryce Underwood and Justice Haynes look to keep the momentum from their debut performances.
4. Oregon 1-0
Oregon did what it was supposed to do against Montana State. It’s too early to know if Dante Moore is the next great Oregon Quarterback yet. He has a chance to make that case this week against Oklahoma State.
5. Indiana 1-0
The Hoosiers scored 27 unanswered points after being down 7-0 early in the first quarter against Old Dominion. Indiana has Kennesaw State this weekend and will look to keep building off of that strong performance in week one.
6. Illinois 1-0
The Fighting Illini had a good showing, albeit against an FBS school in Western Illinois. That knocks them down a few spots on the list. They have a good chance to move up if they can get past Duke on the road this weekend. The Illini also have to show they can have back-to-back good seasons before they can be considered Top Five.
7. Nebraska 1-0
The Cornhuskers sealed the game against Cincinnati on an interception in the endzone with 34 seconds left. In week two, Nebraska faces Akron.
8. Washington 1-0
Washington was in a battle until the fourth quarter against Colorado State in week one, winning 38-21. They have a late game this week against UC Davis.
9. Wisconsin 1-0
After the Air Raid experiment last year, the Badgers went back to being a run-first team, which helped in a 17-0 victory over Miami (OH). Wisconsin welcomes Middle Tennessee to Madison this Saturday afternoon.
10. USC 1-0
Scoring hasn’t been the issue for USC or any of Lincoln Riley’s teams; it’s the defense that’s hurt them. The Trojans won 73-13 against Missouri State. They play Georgia Southern this week, so the jury will likely still be out on them until they play some stiffer competition.
11. Iowa 1-0
Kirk Ferentz is now tied as the Big Ten’s all-time winningest coach. On top of that, Iowa scored points, 34-7, against UAlbany. They’ll face a tougher test this week against #16 Iowa State for the Cy-Hawk Trophy.
12. Michigan State 1-0
The Spartans won an in-state game against Western Michigan 23-6. The defense held the Broncos scoreless until the fourth quarter. Neither of Western Michigan’s quarterbacks threw for 100 yards, and the running game was held to 29 yards on 24 carries. The Spartans have Boston College next.
13. Minnesota 1-0
The Gophers are another team with a new quarterback. Drake Lindsey passed his first test, helping his team beat Buffalo 23-10 with 290 yards and two touchdowns. Minnesota has an early game against Northwestern State on Saturday.
14. Maryland 1-0
Maryland’s defense had SIX interceptions against Florida Atlantic in a 39-7 victory. I don’t see them doing that obviously every game, but for now, that’s very impressive. They have Northern Illinois on Friday.
15. Purdue 1-0
The Boilermakers got off to a great start, blanking Ball State 31-0 behind a 311-yard, two-touchdown performance from quarterback Ryan Browne. They’ll look to continue that this weekend against Southern Illinois.
16. Rutgers 1-0
Rutgers came close to being this year’s “A MAC school beat a Big Ten school,” as they got by Ohio 34-31. They had a 31-17 lead at the half. They have another MAC team this weekend as they face Miami (OH).
17. Northwestern 0-1
One of two teams in the Big Ten that lost. They’ll need a better showing moving forward from quarterback Preston Stone (four interceptions). They have Western Illinois on Friday.
18. UCLA 0-1
It’s been a rough start to life in the Big Ten for UCLA. Starting this year against Utah is a tough assignment for anybody. The Bruins are on the road this week against UNLV.