With all eighteen Big Ten teams having completed their Week 1 games, it is time to kick off a new series, where I will summarize the action around the conference each week. It was a largely successful week for the Big Ten, with 16 out of 18 teams securing victories, although the quality of the opponent varied widely from team to team.
Third-ranked Ohio State made a national statement on Saturday afternoon, defeating top-ranked Texas 14-7 in a marquee showdown at Ohio Stadium. With many new faces starting on both teams, the Buckeyes proved that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The game was a defensive slugfest, with Ohio State getting on the board with a one-yard rushing touchdown from West Virginia transfer CJ Donaldson before stopping the Longhorns from inside the OSU one-yard line for a defining goal-line stand to keep the score at 7-0.
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Although both teams played conservatively on offense, Julian Sayin looked more ready for the moment than Arch Manning, going 13-20 for 126 yards with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate, which pushed the lead to 14-0 for Ohio State. Texas answered back late with Manning finding Parker Livingstone for a 32-yard touchdown, and even got the ball back for a chance to tie the game, but were stopped on fourth down once again. With the signature victory, the defending national champions will likely take over the #1 ranking in the next AP poll.
The other conference heavyweights had a much easier time securing victories. Seventh-ranked Oregon took down Montana State 59-13, with Ducks quarterback Dante Moore completing 18 of 23 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns. Although the Bobcats narrowly lost the FCS championship game to North Dakota State last year, they were completely outmatched by a top-ten Oregon team that will have national title aspirations this season.
Second-ranked Penn State got its own highly anticipated season started with a 46-11 drubbing of Nevada in Happy Valley. Drew Allar completed 22 of 26 passes with 217 yards and a touchdown to USC transfer Kyron Hudson. The Nittany Lions were able to put backups in towards the end of the game, where Nevada scored a late touchdown and two-point conversion in the final minute. Penn State will likely hold onto a top-three ranking in the AP poll, potentially slotting in behind Ohio State after comfortably defeating an inferior opponent.
Michigan had a tougher time in its opening game, taking down New Mexico 34-17 at Michigan Stadium. Highly-touted quarterback Bryce Underwood went 21 for 31 with 251 yards and a touchdown, while running back Justice Haynes had a dominant day with 16 carries for 159 yards and three touchdowns. The Lobos hung around late into the third quarter, raising question marks for the Wolverines early in the season.
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Indiana similarly struggled to pull away from Old Dominion, securing a 27-14 victory over the Monarchs. Transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw for 191 yards on 18-31 passing, while Maryland transfer Roman Hemby had 23 carries for 111 yards in his Hoosiers debut. With high expectations for the program after last season’s 11-1 record and CFP appearance, Cignetti was disappointed in the way his team played despite the win.
With Rutgers securing a narrow 34-31 win over Ohio, several other Big Ten teams had hard-fought wins over MAC contenders on Thursday night. The Drake Lindsey era got started for Minnesota against Buffalo, as Lindsey went 19-35 for 290 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. The Bulls trailed 13-10 midway through the third quarter before the Golden Gophers pulled away in the fourth quarter to earn a 23-10 victory.
Wisconsin defeated Miami (OH) 17-0 later on Thursday after Maryland transfer quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. left the game in the first half with a non-contact injury. Backup QB Danny O’Neill took over, going 12-19 for 120 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. The Badgers led just 3-0 at halftime before scoring two touchdowns in the second half to pull away from a RedHawks team with a stingy defense but no sign of life on offense. Miami quarterback Dequan Finn went 9 for 18 with 83 yards and two interceptions, with one nearly being returned for a score, which led to the game-sealing rushing touchdown for O’Neill.
Nebraska took down Cincinnati at Arrowhead Stadium 20-17 in the top game of the Thursday slate. Dylan Raiola had a high-volume outing, going 33-42 for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Emmitt Johnson had 108 yards on 25 carries, while Nyziah Hunter had six catches for 65 yards and a score through the air. The Bearcats rallied back from being down ten points at halftime, but were unable to complete the comeback, with Brendan Sorsby throwing an interception on a go ball to the end zone. Cincinnati was nearing field goal range but paid the price for taking a downfield shot, as Malcom Hartzog Jr. came up with the game-sealing pick.
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Twelfth-ranked Illinois took down in-state FCS school Western Illinois 52-3, with Luke Altmeyer going 17-21 for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Aidan Laughery led the Illini with 101 rushing yards and two ground scores. Meanwhile, Iowa took down FCS UAlbany 34-7, although Mark Gronowski struggled in his Hawkeyes debut, going 8-15 for just 44 yards and a touchdown. Jacob Gill led the Hawks in receiving with one catch for thirteen yards. It appears that Iowa played to its strengths, with Xavier Williams going for 122 yards and a touchdown on the ground while Gronowski added one of his own. Longtime Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz earned his 205th career win, which tied Woody Hayes as the winningest coach of all time in the Big Ten.
Maryland trotted out Malik Washington in their season-opener, and they cruised to a 39-7 over Florida Atlantic. Washington went 27-43 with 258 yards and three touchdowns while the Terrapins’ defense intercepted FAU quarterback Caden Veltkamp four times and forced a safety. Michigan State also won its opening game on Friday night, taking down Western Michigan 23-6, with Aidan Chiles going 17-23 for 155 yards and a touchdown.
Purdue got the Barry Odom era started in a big way, shutting out Ball State 31-0 at Ross-Ade Stadium. Ryan Browne went 18-26 for 311 yards and two touchdowns, with Arhmad Branch having 101 yards from just three catches, including a 49-yard receiving score to start the game. Veteran running back Devin Mockobee had 59 yards on 14 carries and a rushing touchdown, while the Purdue defense pitched a shutout. Coming off a 1-11 season, the Boilermakers’ blowout win looked promising, even against lesser competition.
On the West Coast, USC took down Missouri State 73-13, which was a rough way for the Bears to make their FBS debut. Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava had a near-perfect outing, completing 15 of 18 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns, while getting the ball to multiple playmakers for long scores. Washington defeated Colorado State 38-21, although the Rams were knotted with the Huskies 14-14 at halftime and then 21-21 in the third quarter. Demond Williams Jr. went 18-24 with 226 yards and a touchdown, while Jonah Coleman had a monster outing, with 177 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 24 carries.
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Not every team in the Big Ten was able to get out of Week 1 with a victory, with Northwestern and UCLA falling to their first opponent of the season. UCLA fell 43-10 to Utah, which will be a contender in the Big 12 conference. The Bruins added former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamelava in the transfer portal, and he disappointed in his debut, going 11-22 for 136 yards with a touchdown and an interception. New Mexico transfer Devon Dampier starred for the Utes, going 21-25 for 206 yards and two passing touchdowns, while adding 87 yards and a rushing score. With Utah being favored by 6.5 points, the margin of the victory caught many by surprise.
Finally, Northwestern fell to Tulane 23-3, with SMU transfer Preston Stone throwing four interceptions in his debut, in addition to going just 19-36 for 161 yards. On the other side, BYU transfer Jake Retzlaff went 18-31 for 152 yards and a touchdown through the air while rushing for 113 yards and a ground score. Although Tulane will be one of the top contenders for the Group of Five playoff spot, the 20-point loss was highly disappointing and could signal trouble for the Wildcats, with the schedule only getting tougher in Big Ten play.
Looking ahead to Week 2, several Big Ten teams will square off with other power conference opponents. Iowa will take on Iowa State at noon in a game that will be important for Rutgers fans to see where the Hawkeyes truly are this season. The Cyclones have started the season 2-0, topping Kansas State in Ireland before flattening a South Dakota team that was among the top in the FCS last season by the score of 55-7.
Twelfth-ranked Illinois will hit the road to take on Duke, which will also kick off at noon. The Blue Devils may be an ACC contender this season after finishing the 2024 season with a 9-4 record and adding Tulane transfer quarterback Darian Mensah, who had 389 yards and three touchdowns in his debut against Elon. With both teams coming off blowout victories over FCS opponents, this game will be a big test for both programs.
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The signature clash of Week 2 will come in Norman, with the eighteenth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners set to battle the fourteenth-ranked Michigan Wolverines. Both programs are looking for respectability and improvement after down seasons in 2024. The game will feature two dynamic quarterbacks, with Oklahoma’s John Mateer squaring off against Michigan’s Bryce Underwood.
The other top games of the Week 2 slate would include Oklahoma State visiting Oregon, Boston College taking on Michigan State, and UCLA heading to Las Vegas to battle UNLV. Rutgers will host Miami (OH) at 3:30 PM at SHI Stadium, with the Scarlet Knights opening as a 14.5-point favorite over the RedHawks.
