What we learned from each Big Ten team in Week 1

Four Big Ten teams played Thursday night. We already wrote a quick takeaway of what we learned about each team. Between Friday and Saturday, the other 14 Big Ten teams all played, as well. So, without further intro, let’s look at one thing we learned about each other Big Ten team this weekend.

1. Ohio State is a title favorite again

Let’s start with the obvious: There’s no letdown for Ohio State after losing so many players to the NFL. The defending national champions just took down the preseason No.1 behind an elite defensive performance. The offense needs more rhythm, perhaps, but there were good signs on that side of the ball as well. We have of course covered this win far more extensively on this site, so I don’t need to go into further detail.

2. Illinois might be for real

It’s hard to take too much away from a beatdown of an FCS team like Western Illinois. But it’s pretty clear that the Fighting Illini are in at least solid shape. Are they the College Football Playoff dark horse that many prognosticators claimed? It’s too soon to tell. But the potential still looks real after this game.

3. Michigan State’s offense needs work

The Spartans were never really threatened against Western Michigan, but they should be much better against a team of that caliber if they want a strong Big Ten season. The offense stalled too many times to really be a threat. The defense looked solid most of the game, but not quite amazing.

4. Penn State has a monster defense

Don’t let the garbage time touchdown fool you–this Penn State defense is fast, swarming, and hits hard. The offense isn’t explosive, but is also ruthlessly efficient. The No.2 in the country showed nothing on Saturday to indicate they don’t deserve that ranking.

5. Oregon throttled a good FCS team

Sometimes boatracing a good FCS team doesn’t mean much. And maybe that’s the case here. But I do know that if you can’t boatrace a good FCS team, you’re not a real title contender. Oregon did what it needed to do to stay in the conversation.

6. Michigan underwhelmed

The Wolverines have middling hype after how they ended last season (wins over Ohio State and Alabama), but they did not look like an elite team in the opener. New Mexico is a mediocre Mountain West school, and Michigan couldn’t dominate the Lobos like they should. New Mexico’s offense made way too many plays. If Michigan plays like this against top Big Ten teams, things will get ugly.

7. Indiana doesn’t look like last year’s team

Last year’s Indiana team looked like a potential playoff contender from Week 2 onwards. The offense was explosive and the defense was efficient. This year’s time does not look like that at all. Then again, Week 1 was rough for the Hoosiers last year, so maybe they can play themselves into form again, but this win over Old Dominion wasn’t it.

8. Maryland will be dangerous on offense

The Terrapins have explosive speed at the skill positions and a solid offensive line. That will make them dangerous. Whether the team is complete enough to stick with the top of the Big Ten remains to be seen, but Maryland looked strong in its opener.

9. Purdue might not be terrible this year

Along with Northwestern, Purdue probably came into this season with the lowest expectations of any Big Ten team. And nothing about a 31-0 win over Ball State should make Purdue fans too optimistic. But things definitely could have been a lot worse, and maybe this team can be competitive in some of its Big Ten games.

10. Northwestern will be terrible this year

The Wildcats came out flat and were dominated by Tulane in its opener. Now, the Green Wave are one of the better AAC teams, and might be a contender for the Group of 4 spot in the College Footbal Playoff. Even so, a Big Ten team shouldn’t be dominated by Tulane the way Northwestern was. This year will not be fun in Evanston.

11. Iowa is Iowa

The Hawkeyes looked like their usual selves. The offense wasn’t flashy, the defense was stingy, and the special teams was special. Whether Iowa can repeat this against teams better than Albany is the question. We’ll start to learn next week when the Hawkeyes face Iowa State.

12. USC has an explosive offense

Missouri State is technically FBS now, but the Bears are not quite up to FBS level. Still, looking unstoppable against them probably says something about USC’s offense. As with many early-season tune-ups, it’s hard to know how it will translate against better teams. But for now, at least, USC has an offense to fear.

13. UCLA needs a lot of work

Utah is known for its defense. Even so, UCLA had far higher hopes for elite transfer Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava left Tennessee as a Heisman contender, but that campaign is certainly over for this season. The UCLA defense couldn’t stop Utah, and the offense couldn’t do much. That does not bode well when the Bruins have to face good Big Ten teams, too.

14. Washington probably isn’t elite yet

Last but not least, the Washington Huskies. They probably aren’t looking at College Football Playoff contention yet, as they didn’t really put away Colorado State until the second half. The team has talent, and the Big Ten elites should be on upset alert (especially Ohio State, who will have to travel to Seattle), but this team can’t be expected to beat too many of them.

This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: One thing we learned about each Big Ten team in Week 1

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