There is a clear top three in the Big Ten. Coming into the year, I would’ve argued it was a top two, with how much turnover Oregon experienced in the offseason and the questions surrounding their young talent. Two weeks in, all those questions have been answered emphatically, and the Ducks look terrifying.
After Penn State slogged through a sloppy 34-0 win over FIU in Happy Valley, Oregon and Ohio State uncorked offensive explosions. The Ducks pounded Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State Cowboys 69-3 with a barrage of chunk plays and a stellar performance from quarterback Dante Moore, and the Buckeyes rolled to a 70-0 win over Grambling State, a much-needed reprieve after battling Texas’s talented defense a week ago.
I came into the season believing that Penn State was the best team in the Big Ten, and until I see James Franklin’s team play real competition, I’m holding firm to my convictions. The Nittany Lions start the year with three cupcakes and have no reason to put the pedal to the medal with a veteran roster that understands the rigors of a potential 16-game schedule, which most of the team navigated a year ago.
Fortunately, the Nittany Lions’ first test of the year comes against Oregon at Beaver Stadium in Week 5 for the White Out Game. Then we’ll start to understand the true pecking order among the top three teams in the conference, and despite Oregon’s ridiculous start to the year, I’m still picking Penn State to win that game, so I’ll keep the Nittany Lions at No. 1.
Elsewhere in the conference, Michigan played the biggest game of the week, losing to Oklahoma 24-13 in Norman, and if it weren’t for a few short fields off turnovers, the score would have been even more lopsided. Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood looked fine, especially considering that he was making his second career start against a Brent Venables defense. Still, the Michigan coaching staff didn’t do anything to make his life easier.
Sherrone Moore and Chip Lindsey’s plan was to run the ball on early downs to protect Underwood, but all that did was put the offense in obvious passing situations and allow Venables to get into his exotic pressure packages. Underwood finished 0-for-8 passing against the blitz. That’s a real concern going forward, especially with Moore serving the second of his two-game suspension during a Week 4 matchup with Nebraska.
Illinois ran away from Duke, but the Illini got quite a bit of turnover luck and have offensive line concerns. The Illini are No. 9 in the country right now, but to me, that’s the sixth-best team in the Big Ten.