Week 2 did the Big Ten no favors, and the chaos at the top has made the league’s pecking order feel a little shaky. Ohio State coughed up a 20-point fourth-quarter lead.
Oregon took a loss to Oklahoma State after already stumbling in Week 1 against Tulsa. Outside of Michigan’s win over Oklahoma, there wasn’t much in the way of a clean conference statement against a strong opponent.
That leaves the Big Ten looking like a league with two teams at the top and a messy group chasing behind them. For now, the Week 3 conversation starts with Indiana, and the question hanging over the conference is simple: is Bloomington really the place everyone else has to catch?
Indiana has done enough to make that case, at least for the moment. The Hoosiers have not revealed everything yet, but what they have shown is hard to ignore.
They held an FCS opponent to 57 total yards and just four first downs, and they did it while missing two starters in the secondary. That kind of defensive number jumps off the page.
The ground game, which was held in check in Week 1, answered right back in Week 2 with 296 rushing yards at 6.4 yards per carry. Between the defense, the depth and the firepower, Indiana looks loaded across the board.
Quarterback Josh Hoover has been mostly excellent through two games, but once Big Ten play starts, the burden shifts onto him in a much bigger way. For now, the Hoosiers get the benefit of the doubt because of Cignetti’s track record, the talent around Hoover and what the first two weeks have already shown.
Ohio State still has a very real argument for No. 1, even after the collapse in Austin. For most of Saturday night against then-No.
4 Texas, the Buckeyes looked like the best team in the country by a wide margin. They carried a 23-3 lead into the final stretch, with Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith doing major damage through the air and Ohio State controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides.
Then it all fell apart. The defense couldn’t get stops against the run or the pass, the offense lost its rhythm, and the Buckeyes even missed a 45-yard field goal that could have helped finish the job.
Ryan Day made mistakes, the personnel didn’t deliver when it mattered most, and Texas rode the momentum all the way back. Still, the bigger picture hasn’t changed: at its peak, Ohio State looks like the best team in the nation, even if it doesn’t live there every week.
Michigan’s win over Oklahoma gave the Wolverines something positive to build on, but they remain one of the league’s strangest teams to sort out. The defense was the real story.
It gave up only one touchdown, held Oklahoma to 3.4 yards per carry on the ground and limited John Mateer to 17-of-33 passing for 189 yards and that lone score. Michigan also forced two turnovers, and with cleaner execution on a series of untimely penalties, the Sooners might have been shut out.
Offensively, Bryce Underwood delivered a much-needed spark, even if the numbers were still modest. The sophomore quarterback went 9-of-17 for 111 passing yards, but he also added 87 rushing yards and a touchdown. His development as a passer remains the key to Michigan’s ceiling.
USC, meanwhile, has quietly stacked up a 3-0 start without giving much away. The Trojans have cruised through the opening stretch, though the defense still looks like the part of the roster most likely to create problems.
Jayden Maiava has been outstanding, completing 80.7 percent of his passes for 896 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception. The running game has helped too, with 518 rushing yards as a team at 4.4 yards per carry, but this is still a pass-heavy Lincoln Riley offense.
The big question in Los Angeles is whether USC will keep needing Maiava to carry shootout after shootout, or whether the defense can finally take a step forward. If it does, the Trojans have a path to the College Football Playoff despite the danger packed into their conference schedule.
For now, though, Indiana sits at the top of the Big Ten picture. And unless the Hoosiers give everyone a reason to think otherwise, the road through this league runs through Bloomington.
In Other News...
Indiana's Defensive Rotation Just Put A New Spotlight On Its Depth
Indiana leaned heavily on its defensive depth in the 55-0 win over Howard, and the snap counts told the story just as much as the scoreboard did. The Hoosiers spread the workload across a long list of contributors, with Mario Landino and Chiddi Obiazor standing out among the pressure players and Rolijah Hardy turning in the kind of splash play that can change the feel of a game in a hurry.
What makes the rotation worth watching now is how many different pieces were involved, including freshmen and players still chasing more eligibility. Early in the season, that kind of distribution can be a luxury if everyone stays productive, but it can also become a real evaluation tool as Indiana learns who can hold up once the competition tightens and the game plans get more demanding. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Waits On Court Fight That Could Cost Two Key Veterans
Indiana football is still waiting on the legal wrangling that could shape the rest of its season, with the eligibility case involving veterans Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt ending in court Wednesday without a ruling. The two players are challenging the NCAA over its five-for-five eligibility rule, and the absence of a decision leaves the Hoosiers in a holding pattern as the week moves toward Saturdays game.
The temporary restraining order that had allowed Daley and Wyatt to keep playing has now expired, which means they are ineligible unless the judge acts before the weekend. Attorneys have until Thursday to submit final documentation, but for now Indiana is left watching the calendar as much as the depth chart, hoping the legal process catches up in time to avoid losing two experienced pieces. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Romped Again But One Josh Hoover Concern Still Lingers
Indiana kept rolling in Week 2, piling up 505 yards and seven touchdowns while the defense smothered the other side for just 57 yards and no points. It was the kind of one-sided performance that can make a team look complete in every phase, with the offense finishing drives and the defense never letting the game breathe.
Josh Hoover still left a little room for concern even in a dominant outing. He completed 6 of 11 passes for 145 yards and four touchdowns, but the accuracy was uneven and he also put the ball on the ground once, with Indiana recovering the fumble. Hoover has avoided an interception through the first two games, but the next step is obvious: cleaner, more consistent throwing as the schedule toughens. [Read more 🡒]