Week 2 shook up the Big Ten picture in a hurry. Ohio State and Oregon both took early hits, USC kept rolling, and the conference suddenly looks a lot less predictable than it did a week ago. Indiana still sits at the top after another strong showing, while the Trojans have quietly put together one of the cleanest starts in the league at 3-0.
At the very top, Indiana has earned the No. 1 spot by looking like the most complete team in the conference through two weeks. Curt Cignetti’s group has shown no sign of backing up, and Josh Hoover has been a huge part of that.
He’s been stellar and looks like he can be a great Fernando Mendoza replacement. Right now, there’s no reason to dismiss what the Hoosiers are doing.
Ohio State lands second, but the Buckeyes are coming off a game they let slip away. They controlled things against Texas and were beating them in every aspect until it mattered most.
That one goes down as a Ryan Day coaching blunder. Even so, the talent is obvious, and the Buckeyes have already shown they can be beaten.
USC should feel better about its chances after seeing that performance.
The Trojans are right behind them at No. 3, and they’ve done nothing but impress so far. At 3-0, all the pieces seem to be in place for a big season.
The question now is consistency, along with whether the young players can deliver in the biggest moments. Talent-wise, this team is right there with anyone.
Then comes the first real surprise of the season: Oregon at No. 4.
The Ducks have opened with two straight sluggish performances, and that’s hard to square with how talented they are. If they want to be viewed as a true title contender, they’ve got plenty to prove.
Penn State checks in at No. 5 and has started exactly the way you’d expect from a team with its schedule. The Nittany Lions have talent, Matt Campbell has shown he can turn things around in previous stints, and Rocco Becht looks like the answer at quarterback.
UCLA is next at No. 6, and the Bob Chesney version of the Bruins already feels different. They’re winning with the run game, and that’s helped Nico Iamaleava settle in. They could end up being a real dark horse in the Big Ten.
Michigan holds the No. 7 spot after a win that said plenty. The Wolverines beat Western Michigan, but it also felt like a loss in some ways because Bryce Underwood was under fire from the media and even his coach.
Still, he was good enough to win the game, and Michigan’s defense was the best unit on the field. That’s a strong response, and Kyle Whittingham deserves a lot of credit for that.
Maybe it was too early to judge this team.
Iowa sits at No. 8, and the formula remains the same. The Hawkeyes will keep winning with defense. They’ll stay in a lot of games, but in the biggest ones it’s going to be up to Hank Brown and the offense to finish the job.
Washington comes in at No. 9, and the defense has been the story so far. It’s been the best unit on the team to start the season, and that’s encouraging. The offense should improve, and with the schedule ahead, it’ll need to.
Illinois drops to No. 10 after getting exposed against the Blue Devils. The biggest issue was the run defense, and that could be a problem all season long. The top teams in the Big Ten can all run the ball, so that loss felt revealing.
Wisconsin is up to No. 11 after a much-needed get-right game. It had the feel of old-school Badgers football: effective on the ground and suffocating on defense. Luke Fickell might be able to get this program back on track with this promising group.
Minnesota lands at No. 12 after getting outmatched by Mississippi State. Kamario Taylor made the Gophers’ promising defense look silly, and the offense never found much rhythm. This might be the version of Minnesota we see against the Big Ten’s best teams.
Nebraska is 13th after a week that helped quiet some of the noise. Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers did a solid job putting concerns and doubt on hold, even after a strong offensive showing. Still, the projection here remains a 6-6 season.
Maryland is No. 14 after Malik Washington turned in a spectacular passing performance. The Terrapins are 2-0 and the offense is a lot of fun to watch, but now comes the real test: doing it against real competition.
Michigan State follows at No. 15, where Cam Edwards has been a standout and Alessio Milivojevic has been excellent to start the year. Pat Fitzgerald has gotten off to a good early start, and the Spartans are moving in the right direction.
Northwestern sits at No. 16 after a bye week, which means not much has changed. The timing wasn’t ideal, and the schedule ahead doesn’t get any kinder.
Purdue is No. 17. The Boilermakers have been a little impressive early, but the expectation here is that they’ll end up just above Rutgers.
Rutgers rounds out the rankings at No. 18, and a 0-2 start is the worst-case scenario as conference play begins. The Scarlet Knights head into Week 3 against USC with their season already looking bleak.
In Other News...
Former Auburn Star's Sudden USC Exit Now Looks Far More Serious
Chad Baker-Mazaras sudden exit from USC basketball has taken on a much more serious cast than a routine roster departure. The former Auburn standout filed a lawsuit against coach Eric Musselman, claiming Musselman directed a racially charged rant at him after a game in February, and that the fallout led to Baker-Mazara being dismissed from the program the next day.
The suit goes beyond the breakup on the bench. Baker-Mazara also alleges USC skipped an NIL payment and tried to end the agreement by invoking a morals clause, and he is suing for breach of contract, conversion and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage. He says the dismissal damaged his NBA Draft stock, turning what looked like a quick roster move into a dispute with bigger implications for the Trojans and their coach. [Read more 🡒]
USC Heads Into Big Ten Play With Real Momentum And One Concern
USC wrapped up its nonconference slate at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with a 49-30 win over Louisiana, a result that gave the No. 12 Trojans a little more confidence as Big Ten play arrives. The offense again had plenty to like, with freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley adding both a punt return touchdown and a receiving touchdown to keep building on a strong start to the season.
Freshman tight end Mark Bowman was another bright spot, catching six passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns before being held out of the second half as a precaution. On the other side of the ball, defensive lineman Jide Abasiri flashed enough disruption to draw a high PFF grade, but USC still heads into conference play with one lingering concern after a game that otherwise looked like another step forward. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Sends USC A Clear Warning Before Big Ten Play
USC is 3-0 after its win over Louisiana, and Lincoln Riley spent his latest media session sounding like a coach who knows the early record only tells part of the story. The No. 12 Trojans have shown growth through the opening stretch, but Riley pointed to the challenges the team has already faced and the way different pieces have helped them keep moving forward, especially on the defensive side.
With Big Ten play looming, Riley made it clear the next phase will demand more from USC than the first three games have. He talked through the lessons already learned and the players who have helped steady the start, but the bigger question now is how the Trojans hold up when the competition changes and the margin for error gets much thinner. [Read more 🡒]