Penn State’s schedule was already about to get a whole lot tougher, hosting No. 6 Oregon for the White Out at Beaver Stadium in Week 5, but it might be even worse than that. It seemed that the Nittany Lions would just need to split their matchups with Ohio State and Oregon, the other two top national contenders in the conference, but after Week 4, Indiana is looking like a much more difficult game.
Indiana's statement win
The Hoosiers, last year’s upstart program that rolled into the College Football Playoff with 11 wins over a soft schedule, might be even better in Year 2 under Curt Cignetti. Indiana’s first true test came on Saturday night in Bloomington with No. 9 Illinois in town, the first ranked-on-ranked matchup between the two programs in 75 years, and the Hoosiers nearly dropped the Fighting Illini out of the AP Top 25 with a 63-10 drubbing.
Indiana lost its two ranked matchups last season, falling to Ohio State and Notre Dame convincingly, so that Week 4 win was easily the best in recent program history and established the Hoosiers as the clear fourth-best team in the conference. It’s too rich to elevate IU into the top three just yet, but with Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza at quarterback and plenty of reigning All-Big Ten players all over the roster, Cignetti’s team is far from a pushover for the Nittany Lions on November 8, or any other team in the conference or the country.
Michigan plays bully ball in Lincoln
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, with Penn State and Ohio State both on a bye week, Michigan controlled the line of scrimmage in Lincoln, exposing Nebraska’s weakness in the trenches, and knocking the Cornhuskers down a peg. Dylan Raiola played fine, and Matt Rhule has enough playmakers for his team to continue its upward trajectory, but the chance for a statement win early in the season has passed Nebraska by.
Other Big Ten movers
Late night, USC’s offense continued to be one of the most efficient anywhere, with a 45-31 win over Michigan State. Now, the question becomes, has Aidan Chiles and the Michigan State offense improved enough from last season to hang around with the Trojans, or was the early-season USC defensive resurgence a bit of a mirage? I still rate USC more highly than Michigan, but their head-to-head showdown on October 11 in LA will be a telling result.
Possibly the biggest riser is Maryland. The Terps nearly ended the Luke Fickell era in Madison, embarrassing the Badgers 27-10 as 10-point road underdogs. I’ve liked the way Bryce Underwood has played, especially on the road in hostile environments, but Malik Washington is making his case as the best true freshman quarterback in the conference. This week, Maryland jumped Washington, climbing to No. 9 and into Tier 3 as the Huskies struggle to get stops against anyone.
The Apple Cup was a big-time shootout, and with Demond Williams, Jonah Coleman, and Denzel Boston, Jedd Fisch’s team can put up points with ease, but they’ll need to win plenty of shootouts this season.