The Big Ten came into the season with the usual argument hanging over it: is this really the best league in the country, or is the SEC still the standard? Two weeks in, the answer has tilted hard toward the SEC.
The Big Ten has taken its share of punches, even with Michigan’s win over then-No. 11 Oklahoma at the Big House.
In Power Conference vs. Power Conference games, the SEC is 8-2 and the Big Ten is 3-6.
That doesn’t mean the league is out of the playoff picture. Far from it.
The Big Ten still looks headed for at least two College Football Playoff teams, and probably three or four. The bigger question is which programs can rise above the mess.
Penn State feels like the cleanest answer.
At the bottom, Rutgers sits alone in the cellar. After losing to UMass in Week 1 and then falling 28-21 at Boston College, the Scarlet Knights aren’t just last in the Big Ten - they’re last in the Power Four.
A little higher up, the middle and lower-middle of the conference is already looking messy. Northwestern was on a bye.
Purdue dropped a 38-36 overtime game to Wake Forest after failing to get off the field on a 4th-and-15 with a lead, then losing on a two-point conversion. Michigan State is 2-0 after beating Eastern Michigan 35-7.
Illinois lost 31-27 to Duke despite a solid showing from new QB Katin Houser, while Minnesota got rolled 38-13 by Mississippi State. Wisconsin handled Western Illinois 36-9, and Maryland moved to 2-0 with a 38-14 win at UConn.
Minnesota’s slide is the most jarring in that group. The Gophers went unbeaten at home last season, and PJ Fleck has built a real mid-tier Big Ten program on a bottom-tier budget.
But Mississippi State, led by budding superstar quarterback Kamrio Taylor, came into Minneapolis and buried them. Still, Minnesota doesn’t tumble too far because Mississippi State might actually be good - or at least frisky in the SEC - and because the Big Ten has enough teams below them to provide a cushion.
Illinois had its own issues in the loss to Duke. Houser kept the offense in the fight, but the defense couldn’t do enough against Nate Sheppard. Purdue, meanwhile, has been surprisingly competent through two weeks, but the Boilermakers still found a way to blow it in overtime.
The next layer up is full of teams with something to prove. Nebraska crushed Bowling Green 56-7.
UCLA beat San Diego State 28-10. Washington edged Utah State 16-14.
Iowa won the Cy-Hawk 16-13.
Even so, none of those performances came with a clean bill of health. Iowa got the rivalry win, but it didn’t look especially sharp doing it.
Washington has the same run-game questions and dropped out of the AP Poll after letting a Utah State team that had just lost to FCS Idaho State hang around all day. UCLA and Nebraska both look encouraging, but neither has really put a statement on the table yet.
Still, both feel better than Washington and Iowa in terms of early trajectory.
Then comes the part of the rankings where the Big Ten starts to look dangerous again. Penn State sits sixth after beating Temple 27-9.
Michigan is fifth after knocking off No. 11 Oklahoma 17-10.
Oregon is fourth despite a 39-31 loss at Oklahoma State. USC is third after a 49-30 win over Louisiana.
Oregon’s placement will raise eyebrows, but the logic is simple: there’s too much talent in Eugene to shove the Ducks down too far after one shaky loss. Maybe the coordinator changes end up hurting Dan Lanning’s team, but it’s still hard to bury them. On a neutral field, Oregon would still be favored over Penn State, and probably by more than a touchdown.
Michigan over Penn State is a little easier to justify. The defense looks real, and when new offensive coordinator Jason Beck leans on Bryce Underwood in the run game, the offense has another gear beyond what it showed against Western Michigan.
Even so, Penn State can close that gap quickly.
At the very top, only two teams look like true national title contenders right now: Indiana and Ohio State. Indiana is 2-0 after a 55-0 win over Howard, while Ohio State fell 24-23 at No.
1 Texas. Oregon can’t be dismissed, and USC is starting to get harder to ignore, but the Hoosiers and Buckeyes are still in a tier of their own.
In Other News...
Penn State Sent A Clear Message After That Hit On Rocco Becht
Penn States response to late hits on quarterbacks has become a revealing subplot in how this team carries itself. Back in the 2021 loss to Illinois, the Nittany Lions absorbed the kind of play that usually tests a sidelines patience, but there was no real retaliation and James Franklin made clear afterward that he preferred officials handle it. It was a measured approach, the sort that fit a program trying to stay composed and avoid turning frustration into a bigger problem.
The recent game against Temple showed a different kind of message. After a late hit on Rocco Becht, Penn State immediately rallied around its quarterback, with the reaction underscoring a stronger sense of unity without crossing the line into unnecessary penalties. Matt Campbell pointed to that togetherness, and Becht did too, as the Nittany Lions balanced standing up for one another with the discipline needed to keep the game under control. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States 2-0 Start Comes With One Big Defensive Concern
Penn State moved to 2-0 with its win over Temple and the AP Top 25 voters rewarded that start by bumping the Nittany Lions to No. 14. It was a solid early checkpoint for a team trying to establish itself again in the national conversation, and the weekend brought a few more bright spots around the program, including a sweep by the womens volleyball team against Stanford and Big Ten defensive honors from Pro Football Focus for several football players.
But the bigger news out of the football side came with a far less encouraging update from Matt Campbell, who said defensive end Max Granville is out for the season. For a team that has looked sharp enough to climb in the rankings, losing a key piece on defense creates an immediate test of depth and durability, especially this early in the schedule when momentum is still being built and every lineup adjustment can carry extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces Early Pressure With Two Trouble Spots vs Buffalo
Penn State heads into its matchup with Buffalo carrying a couple of early-season concerns that already feel worth monitoring. The offense has not been as sharp in the red zone as it would like, and the defense is sorting through injuries to defensive ends Max Granville and LaVar Arrington, a combination that can put pressure on both game-planning and depth this early in the schedule.
The Lions expect to lean on other pieces in the defensive end rotation while also looking for more from wide receiver Zay Robinson, who has flashed as both a pass catcher and a returner. Senior receiver Brahmer remains a steady target with the team lead in touchdown receptions and more than 1,000 career receiving yards, but the bigger question against Buffalo is whether Penn State can clean up the finishes and keep the front seven from feeling the strain. [Read more 🡒]