Week 2 is where the Big Ten schedule starts to feel like a real season, and the league has no shortage of headline games to prove it.
The biggest one lands in Austin, where No. 1 Ohio State meets No.
4 Texas in a showdown with College Football Playoff implications. The Buckeyes are listed as 1.5-point betting underdogs, and it’s the first top-5 vs. top-5 game of the college football season.
That alone makes it the center of the weekend.
There’s also plenty of pressure in Ann Arbor, where Michigan welcomes No. 11 Oklahoma after the Wolverines’ miracle, controversial win over Western Michigan. The Sooners are 5.5-point favorites, and the matchup comes with an over/under of 43.5 points, setting up a game that leans toward defense.
Another rivalry with real heat arrives in Iowa City, where Iowa and Iowa State meet in a long-simmering matchup. Both teams come in 1-0, and the Cy-Hawk clash is one of the defining games on the Big Ten slate this week.
Elsewhere, No. 6 Oregon heads to Oklahoma State after a close home win over Boise State last weekend, and the Ducks have dropped four spots in the Associated Press poll.
In Philadelphia, No. 16 Penn State gets a noon kickoff against Temple at Lincoln Financial Field, with the Nittany Lions looking to show off their new style of play under Matt Campbell in fertile recruiting territory.
Minnesota also faces one of the toughest tests on the board, hosting Mississippi State as a narrow 1.5-point underdog. And for teams across the conference, Week 2 brings a full mix of nonconference chances, from Howard at No. 5 Indiana to Duke at Illinois and Bowling Green at Nebraska.
Here’s the full Big Ten football schedule for Week 2:
FRIDAY, SEPT. 11
Rutgers (0-1) at Boston College (0-1)
SATURDAY, SEPT. 12
Howard (1-1) at #5 Indiana (1-0)
#6 Oregon (1-0) at Oklahoma State (0-1)
#11 Oklahoma (1-0) at Michigan (1-0)
#16 Penn State (1-0) at Temple (1-0)
Wake Forest (1-0) at Purdue (1-0)
Utah State (0-1) at #19 Washington (1-0)
Mississippi State (1-0) at Minnesota (1-0)
Duke (1-0) at Illinois (1-0)
Eastern Michigan (1-1) at Michigan State (1-0)
Maryland (1-0) at UConn (1-0)
Bowling Green (0-1) at Nebraska (1-0)
San Diego State (1-0) at UCLA (1-0)
Western Illinois (1-1) at Wisconsin (0-1)
#1 Ohio State (1-0) at #4 Texas (1-0)
Iowa State (1-0) at #21 Iowa (1-0)
Louisiana (1-0) at #14 USC (2-0)
In Other News...
Penn State Mourns A Former Star As New Details Emerge
Matt Suhey, one of Penn States most respected former stars, was found dead at his home in Deerfield, Illinois, a loss that adds another somber note to the programs long football lineage. Suhey went on to become a fixture with the Chicago Bears, remembered most for his work as a lead blocker for Walter Payton and for scoring the first touchdown in the Bears Super Bowl XX win.
The Lake County Coroners Office said there were no suspicious circumstances and that his death was due to natural causes tied to a significant medical history. For Penn State fans, Suhey was part of an era that still carries weight in the schools football story, and his passing is likely to prompt the kind of reflection that follows whenever one of the programs former standard-bearers is lost. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Sirianni Has A Surprising Penn State Tie Coming To The Linc
Matt Campbell and Nick Sirianni have traveled a long way from their days as roommates at Mount Union, and now their careers are set to cross again in a much bigger spotlight. Sirianni has already climbed to Super Bowl-winning status with the Eagles, while Campbell has settled in as Penn States head coach, giving their old relationship a new layer of intrigue whenever the schedules and sideline duties line up.
Campbell recently spoke with Sirianni after Penn States debut win, a reminder that the two still lean on one another as they navigate the demands that come with leading major programs. Now Campbell is bringing his team to Lincoln Financial Field, where Sirianni coaches, adding a personal twist to a game that already carries plenty of attention for Penn State fans following the programs new chapter. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Is Leaning Back Into Its Past In A Big Way
Penn State has quietly spent the early part of the season leaning back into its history, and not in a subtle way. Matt Campbell has made clear he wants the program to honor the legacy of former coach Joe Paterno, with Jay Paterno around practice, Sue Paterno addressing the team, and the school opening the Paterno Family Football Experience Room as part of that broader nod to the past. Even the season opener carried a familiar visual, with the team running out under a banner tied to Paternos era.
Campbell has framed it as a matter of respecting where the program came from and the value system that helped shape it. Still, the move naturally invites a bigger conversation about how Penn State balances celebration of its football lineage with the scrutiny that comes with it, and how far the program is willing to go in reconnecting with one of the most defining figures in its history. [Read more 🡒]