Week 1 in the Big Ten doesn’t waste much time getting rolling. Rutgers opens the league slate on Thursday night, and by the time Labor Day weekend wraps up, the conference will have run through a full stack of openers, tune-up games and one Sunday Apple Cup.
Here’s how the picks shake out for the first big weekend of the season.
Rutgers should handle UMass on Thursday night, with a 38-10 projection that says more about the Minutemen than the Scarlet Knights. UMass football, as the pick puts it, “Nothing about UMass football is competitive or particularly competent, until proven otherwise.” Rutgers isn’t exactly being framed as a powerhouse here, but this matchup is supposed to be comfortable.
Illinois gets a similar treatment against UAB. The prediction is 40-14 for the Illini, with UAB described as “A far cry from what it was a few seasons ago.” New coach Alex Mortensen inherits plenty of work in Birmingham.
Friday brings a tighter one in East Lansing, where Michigan State is picked to edge Toledo 24-21. That game is expected to be close, and the Spartans are starting fresh under new coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Also on Friday, USC hosts Fresno State, and the Trojans are picked to win 34-20. Matt Entz, who used to coach USC linebackers under Lincoln Riley, returns to face his old program. The note there is that he knows how Riley operates, which is why this one is not expected to turn into a full-scale runaway.
Indiana’s opener against North Texas is forecast as a 42-14 win for the defending national champions. North Texas is dealing with major offseason turnover after losing its coach and quarterback, while Indiana’s first game is expected to be a little sluggish before the team settles in over the next few weeks.
Nebraska is picked to beat Ohio 27-13, but not because the offense inspires much confidence. The line on the Cornhuskers is blunt: “The Husker offense is not convincing.
Matt Rhule is not convincing.” The defense is what gets them through.
Ohio State opens with the biggest margin on the board, a 55-3 rout of Ball State. The reason is simple enough: the Buckeyes are said to have plenty to prove after losing in the playoff quarterfinals last season.
Oregon gets Boise State 45-24 in a game with an unusual twist. The Broncos are playing their first game as a Pac-12 member school, while Oregon is not, making this one a strange little role reversal.
Penn State is picked to beat Marshall 31-10 as it begins its new era under Matt Campbell. Iowa’s opener is even more straightforward: a 30-7 win over Northern Illinois in what is described as a soft start before the tougher games arrive.
Michigan is projected to beat Western Michigan 31-10, with Kyle Whittingham beginning his new coaching tenure in Ann Arbor. UCLA gets a narrow 27-24 edge over Cal, with Bob Chesney looking “like the real thing in Westwood” and expected to win his debut with the Bruins.
Sunday closes with Washington State visiting Washington in the Apple Cup. The Huskies are picked to win 34-20, and there’s plenty expected of them this season.
Wisconsin and Notre Dame meet Sunday in Green Bay, and the Irish are projected to win 24-6. Notre Dame’s defense is called elite, while the offense still has to show where it stands in Week 1.
Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell is also noted as being on the hot seat this year.
In Other News...
USC Depth Chart Leaves One Big Question Before Fresno State
USCs updated depth chart for Fresno State brought a little more clarity and a reminder that the roster is still taking shape in August. Defensive linemen Jahkeem Stewart and Braylan Shelby are back on the list after dealing with injuries, and the freshmen keep showing up in meaningful spots as the staff continues sorting out roles at safety and receiver. Its the kind of sheet that suggests both progress and caution, with the Trojans still balancing development against availability.
What remains less certain is how much of that depth chart will translate into actual game action once the ball is kicked off. USC has been careful with injured players, and even with the return of key names there is still some guesswork around who will be fully ready and how long theyll stay on the field. For a team trying to settle its rotation early, that uncertainty is the part worth watching against Fresno State. [Read more 🡒]
USC Attendance Backlash Just Got A Troubling Coliseum Reality Check
USCs season opener against San Jos State was supposed to be a fresh start at the Coliseum, but the announced crowd of 51,114 quickly became part of the conversation for all the wrong reasons. Many seats looked empty on television and in person, and the turnout set off the kind of social media debate that follows the Trojans whenever the building feels less than full.
The criticism has landed from several directions, with some pointing to the weather and others to broader fan frustration around the program. Freshman receiver Ethan Feasters father added another layer to the picture, describing punishing heat at the game and saying several fans, including his wife, dealt with heat-related issues. For USC, the optics of a lightly filled Coliseum and an uncomfortable afternoon only sharpened the focus on a problem the program will keep hearing about until the stands look different. [Read more 🡒]
USC Pass Rush Faces Early Pressure As Young Defenders Push For More
USCs season opener gave the Trojans an early look at where their pass rush stands and where it still needs to go. After the win over San Jos State, junior defensive end Kameryn Crawford said the group will be measured quickly again when Fresno State comes to town, and he pointed to the promise already showing up from freshman end Luke Wafle. With a new defensive coordinator in Gary Patterson, Crawford has also had to adjust to a different role, making his perspective on the front especially relevant as the season starts to take shape.
What stood out most from Crawfords comments was the way he talked about the younger defenders not as future pieces, but as players already affecting the defense. He praised the freshmens work ethic and the energy they have brought, which matters for a USC pass rush trying to find consistency before conference play gets any more demanding. The Trojans do not need to solve everything in September, but they do need the edge rush to keep climbing, and the early signs suggest the freshmen may end up being a bigger part of that answer than expected. [Read more 🡒]