Week 3 is where the Big Ten schedule starts to take shape, and it looks like a slate built for points. USC gets a warm-up against Rutgers before the bigger test ahead, UCLA opens conference play against Purdue, and a handful of other league teams are expected to spend the weekend padding the scoreboard.
Friday’s opener gives Oregon a chance to clean things up before USC comes calling. Against Portland State, the Ducks are projected to get exactly the kind of reset they want, and a 56-7 win would send them into next week with the right feel.
Ohio State is lined up for another runaway. Kent State is the next opponent, and the Buckeyes are expected to lean on Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith in a 70-7 rout. Penn State also gets a comfortable afternoon, with Buffalo coming in and the Nittany Lions rolling to a 45-10 win behind Rocco Becht, who has been sensational to start the season.
Minnesota is looking to bounce back after getting humbled by Mississippi State, and this matchup with Akron is supposed to help the Gophers rediscover their identity. Darius Taylor is the name to watch there, with a projected 150-yard day on the ground in a 38-14 Minnesota win.
Wisconsin should have a much easier time with Eastern Michigan, which did not offer much resistance against Michigan State last week. The Badgers are expected to cruise, 38-7.
Illinois also gets a chance to take care of business against Southern Illinois. Bret Bielema’s team is projected to leave with a 35-10 victory and a 2-1 start. At Michigan, Bryce Underwood is coming off a confidence-building win over Oklahoma and is expected to put together the best game of his college career against UTEP in a 44-10 Wolverines win.
Indiana keeps showing up as one of the league’s sharpest teams in this preview. Western Kentucky is the opponent, but Curt Cignetti’s group is forecast to steamroll the Hilltoppers, with Josh Hoover turning in another four-touchdown performance in a 56-14 Hoosiers win.
Iowa, meanwhile, is expected to lean on its usual formula: suffocating defense and enough offense to control the game. Northern Iowa is the matchup, and the Hawkeyes are projected to win 30-7.
One of the biggest surprises in the forecast comes in Lincoln, where North Dakota is picked to hand Nebraska its first loss. Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers are expected to run into trouble against an underrated North Dakota team, and the visitors are projected to pull off a 27-24 win in dramatic fashion.
Washington is also expected to deliver its most explosive outing of the season. Eastern Washington comes in as the opponent, and Demond Williams is projected to put together a Heisman-level showing with a dual-threat breakout that powers a 50-17 Huskies win.
Notre Dame’s matchup with Michigan State is called out as a closer one than many might expect. The Spartans are labeled frisky, and the Fighting Irish are projected to have to work for it before pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 31-20 win.
Maryland-Virginia Tech has shootout written all over it. Malik Washington is expected to deliver an elite passing performance, Virginia Tech is forecast to keep answering, and the Terrapins are picked to get their first statement win of the season when Washington throws the game-sealing touchdown in a 30-27 finish.
The projected best game of the week is Colorado at Northwestern. Colorado is said to have a different sense of confidence and energy this season, and Julian Lewis is coming off a four-touchdown passing performance. That form is expected to continue, with the Buffaloes taking a 35-28 win.
The nightcap-like feel belongs to UCLA and Purdue. Nico is projected to be the difference for the Bruins, torching the Boilermakers’ secondary for more than 300 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 34-27 UCLA win.
In Other News...
USC Escaped Rutgers But One Troubling Issue Still Lingers
USC survived a tense battle with Rutgers, pulling out a 42-35 win that was far less comfortable than the ranking suggested. The Trojans needed big days from redshirt sophomore Miller and redshirt-freshman Riley Wormley to keep the offense moving, with both players supplying key runs and touchdowns as Rutgers stayed within striking distance throughout the afternoon.
The result will count, but it also left a familiar concern hanging over the Trojans. USC leaned heavily on individual playmakers, and the offense still had stretches defined by penalties and uneven passing, the kind of issues that can make even a win feel like a warning sign. Rutgers kept forcing USC to answer, and the bigger question now is whether the Trojans can clean up the rough edges before a tougher spot in the schedule turns those flaws into something more costly. [Read more 🡒]
USC Stayed Unbeaten But One Problem Looms Before Oregon
Southern California escaped its Big Ten opener with a 42-35 win over Rutgers, a game that looked more comfortable on the scoreboard than it felt on the field. Jayden Maiava threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns, King Miller added 102 rushing yards and a score, and the Trojans did enough to stay unbeaten even as Rutgers Dylan Lonergan pushed back with 272 passing yards and three touchdowns.
The bigger concern now is what comes next. USC gets Oregon at home, and the Ducks will be a far different test than a Rutgers team that hurt itself with turnovers, including a 99-yard interception returned for a touchdown. The Trojans survived this one, but the margin for error gets a lot thinner from here. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Fans Wont Like How USC Kept That Drive Alive
USCs first road trip of the season had the kind of third-quarter sequence that tends to linger long after the final whistle. In the middle of a pivotal drive against Rutgers, an inadvertent whistle wiped out a completed third-down pass, forcing the down to be replayed and turning one clean conversion into a fresh round of pressure for the Trojans.
From there, the drive took a winding path, with USC failing on the replayed third down before going for it on fourth and eventually hitting a 32-yard completion to keep things moving. It was the sort of break-and-response sequence that can swing a road game, and the No. 12 Trojans made enough of those plays to leave New Jersey with a win and a 4-0 record. [Read more 🡒]