Week 2 shook up the Big Ten picture in a hurry.
The headline result came in Columbus, where No. 1 Ohio State let a 23-3 fourth-quarter lead slip away and fell to No.
3 Texas, 24-23, in one of the most anticipated non-conference matchups of the season. It marked the first time Ryan Day had ever lost a game after leading by 20 or more points.
Oregon took a hit too. The No. 6 Ducks went on the road and lost 39-31 to Oklahoma State, a team that had just dropped a two-score game to Tulsa and a program Oregon had beaten by 66 only 12 months ago.
Michigan gave itself a much-needed response after its chaotic, hotly debated Week 1 win over Western Michigan. The Wolverines leaned on defense and got a better performance from Bryce Underwood in a 17-10 win over No.
10 Oklahoma, giving first-year head coach Kyle Whittingham his first statement win. After the 13-12 escape against the Broncos, the question now is whether beating a top-10 opponent is enough to push Michigan back into the top 25.
Indiana stayed unbeaten in emphatic fashion, rolling Howard 55-0. Minnesota, meanwhile, was thumped by Kamario Taylor and Mississippi State. Illinois fell 31-27 to Duke, and Washington survived with a 16-14 win against Utah State.
Those results all fed into the Week 2 US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 rankings. Big Ten teams are listed in bold in the updated polls.
In Other News...
Michigan Defense Just Got Telling Praise After Oklahoma Win
John Mateer had little trouble identifying where Saturday went sideways for Oklahoma after Michigan left town with a 17-10 win. The Sooners quarterback said his own accuracy and missed throws were part of the problem, and the numbers backed up the frustration: he finished 17 of 33 for 189 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while Oklahomas offense never quite found a rhythm against the Wolverines.
From Michigans side, that kind of self-assessment from the opposing quarterback is the sort of quiet validation a defense notices. Oklahoma managed just 289 total yards and converted only three of 13 third downs, and Mateer ended up leading the Sooners in rushing yards as well, a sign of how often Michigan kept the bigger answers off the table. For a Wolverines defense trying to build on a game that turned on one late touchdown, praise from the quarterback on the other sideline only sharpens the edge of what it did well. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Controlled Oklahoma With One Weapon Fans Rarely Celebrate
Special teams usually only get noticed when something goes wrong, but Michigan has leaned on that phase in a way that has quietly shaped its early season. Kyle Whittingham made a point of stressing the punt unit in preseason, and the Wolverines have turned that into real field-position value through the first two games, with Cam Brown consistently driving opponents deep and making every exchange on the field feel a little longer for the other sideline.
Michigans coverage work has helped the punt game land even harder. Defensive players such as Zeke Berry have chipped in to keep return yards down, turning hidden-yardage moments into part of the broader defensive edge. It is not the flashiest reason the Wolverines have been able to control games, but it is the kind of detail that tends to matter most once the schedule tightens and one or two possessions start deciding everything. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Made Another Push For A Five-Star Local Receiver
Dakota Guerrants visit to Michigans game against Oklahoma gave the Wolverines another chance to keep the five-star receiver close to home, even after his June commitment to Oregon. The Michigan native has strong local ties, and the Wolverines continue to press for a reopening in a recruitment that still carries plenty of intrigue because of who he is and where he grew up.
Oregon has its own selling point in this race, with recent success developing NFL-caliber wide receivers helping make the Ducks a tough pull to beat. Michigan, though, is still working to persuade Guerrant to reconsider, and his presence in Ann Arbor suggested this one is far from settled. [Read more 🡒]