The Big Ten gets its first real shot to flex against the SEC this weekend, and the timing couldn’t be cleaner.
After three straight national titles from three different teams, the Big Ten sits on top of the sport right now. But in the regular-season matchups with the SEC last year, the Big Ten didn’t exactly run the table. Ohio State opened with a 14-7 win over Texas, then Oklahoma beat Michigan 24-13, and Alabama followed by taking down Wisconsin 38-14.
Now the league has a chance to answer back.
The marquee game comes Saturday night in Austin, where Ohio State heads back to Texas looking for a third straight win over the Longhorns. Earlier in the day, Oklahoma and Michigan will meet in Ann Arbor at noon to finish their home-and-home series. Then at 3:30 p.m., Minnesota hosts Mississippi State in the first meeting between the programs.
It’s an early-week showcase with real weight for the Big Ten’s national image, and for a few of these teams, it’s also a chance to start building a College Football Playoff case before September gets rolling.
After Week 1, Ohio State holds the top spot in the Big Ten Power Rankings, followed by Indiana, Oregon and USC. Penn State climbed to No. 5 after its 45-0 win over Marshall, while Washington moved up to No. 6 and Iowa checked in at No. 7 after blanking Northern Illinois 40-0.
Illinois sits at No. 8 after beating UAB 42-23, and UCLA jumped to No. 9 after its 45-24 win at California. Michigan landed at No. 10 after a tight 13-12 win over Western Michigan, with Minnesota right behind at No. 11 after rolling Eastern Illinois 59-7.
Nebraska, Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern and Purdue round out the middle of the list, while Wisconsin and Rutgers occupy the bottom two spots after opening losses.
The other Big Ten games to watch this week include Illinois’ second half of its home-and-home with Duke. The Illini won last year in Durham, 45-19, and that game wound up being the high point of their season.
Iowa and Iowa State also meet in their annual rivalry game in Week 2, with Iowa still chasing the Cy-Hawk Trophy after last winning it in 2023. The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series 46-25.
Michigan’s opener, though, may be the one people keep talking about longest.
Head coach Kyle Whittingham summed it up this way: “This game will go down in Michigan history. I don’t know if it’s in a positive way, but it’ll go down in history.”
The Wolverines escaped with a 13-12 win over Western Michigan, but barely. They got a second chance after officials put an extra second back on the clock, a call later backed by the Big Ten, and Bryce Underwood cashed it in with a 47-yard Hail Mary to JJ Buchanan. Whittingham didn’t try to dress it up.
Should Michigan have gotten that extra second? Probably not, according to the source’s read of the reaction. Either way, the result left Western Michigan on the wrong end of a game it may feel it should have won, and Michigan sitting at 1-0 with a victory it can’t exactly brag about.
In Other News...
Ohio State Faces A More Dangerous Texas Test Than Last Year
The rematch on the schedule already carries enough weight, but this one comes with a different feel for Ohio State. The Buckeyes and Texas are meeting for the third straight year, only this time it is in Austin at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, with ESPNs College GameDay on hand and the Longhorns carrying a 1.5-point edge. After the last two seasons gave both programs a fresh look at each other, the matchup now arrives with even more attention and a bigger stage.
For Ohio State, the challenge is not just the venue or the buildup, but the version of Texas waiting on the other side. Arch Manning gives the Longhorns a new layer at quarterback, while new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp adds a familiar edge to that side of the ball. For a Buckeye team used to measuring itself against the nations best, this one feels less like another early heavyweight game and more like a true test of how much has changed since the last time these teams lined up. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Kienholz Just Sparked An Ohio State QB Debate
Lincoln Kienholz spent enough time around Ohio State to know how unforgiving the quarterback conversation can be there, and his latest outing at Louisville gave the discussion a fresh jolt. In his debut against Ole Miss, the former Buckeye showed the kind of production that turns heads quickly, topping 300 yards and throwing three touchdowns while looking comfortable as both a passer and a runner.
For Ohio State fans, the appeal is obvious because it feeds into the never-ending question of what might have been and what the Buckeyes missed when Kienholz moved on. His path also says something about the fit in college football: sometimes a player needs a different setup, a cleaner runway and a coach like Jeff Brohm to let the full skill set show up on game day, even as the foundation built in Columbus still shapes how he leads and handles the position. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan's QB Uncertainty Just Added Intrigue To The Game
Ohio State opened its season with a comfortable win over Ball State, while Michigan had a far less reassuring afternoon in a narrow escape against Western Michigan. That alone would have been enough to keep Buckeyes fans watching closely, but the storyline got more interesting when Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham left the door open on Bryce Underwoods status at quarterback, a notable twist for a position that usually settles the tone for the rest of the rivalry week chatter.
Underwoods uneven play has only deepened the questions around Michigans offense, and it carries extra weight because of what this game means beyond one Saturday in September. For Ohio State, any uncertainty on the other sideline only adds to the intrigue heading into a meeting where the Buckeyes will be paying attention to whether Michigan can steady itself, or whether the Wolverines are heading toward a bigger change than anyone expected. [Read more 🡒]