What to watch for in Week 2 in the Big Ten Conference.
Game of the week
No. 3 Texas (1-0) at No. 10 Michigan (1-0), Saturday, 11 a.m. CST (Fox)
The Longhorns will be the highest-ranked nonconference opponent to visit the Big House since top-ranked Florida State beat the Wolverines 51-31 in 1991.
Is Michigan’s defense as salty as ever? Fresno State managed just 9 yards rushing, punted seven times and committed a couple turnovers in a 30-10 loss to the Wolverines last week. We’ll get a better idea about Michigan’s defense when it goes against Quinn Ewers and a Texas offense that churned out 545 yards in a 52-0 win over Colorado State.
Offensively, Michigan needs to get Donovan Edwards going. The team’s top running back picked up just 27 yards on 11 carries against Fresno State. First-year starter Davis Warren had just six pass plays go for 10 yards or longer last week.
The undercard
Nebraska carries momentum into the renewal of its rivalry with former conference mate Colorado. The Cornhuskers will be playing the second of four straight homes games to open the season and are coming off a 40-7 win over UTEP.
The main attractions are the quarterbacks: five-star freshman Dylan Raiola of Nebraska and the dynamic Shedeur Sanders of Colorado. Raiola was as good as advertised against the Miners, and the addition of bigger and stronger receivers was a revelation. Sanders can put up huge numbers with playmakers Jimmy Horn Jr. and two-way star Travis Hunter.
This is the last game in a four-game home-and-home series. Colorado has won the first three.
Previewing the very big Big Ten: What’s new this football season and what to know about all 18 teams
Impact players
Iowa freshman WR Reece Vander Zee will make his first start in the CyHawk Series game against Iowa State. He caught five balls for 66 yards and two touchdowns against Illinois State in his first college game.
Northwestern WR Bryce Kirtz, who caught six balls for 91 yards against Miami (Ohio) last week, goes against a Duke pass defense that allowed only three pass plays of 10 yards or longer against Elon.
Oregon DE Matayo Uiagalelei goes into a home game against Boise State after recording two sacks, two quarterback hurries and a force fumble against Idaho.
Inside the numbers
No. 2 Ohio State’s Brandon Inniss had 60 punt return yards against Akron last week. The Buckeyes had a total of 75 in 2023. They host Western Michigan. … Miller Moss is No. 13 Southern California’s first starting quarterback since at least 1971 to debut with back-to-back wins over ranked teams. He beat Louisville in the Holiday Bowl last season and LSU in the opener Sunday. … Indiana has won 17 of 18, including 14 in a row, against FCS opponents entering Friday’s game against Western Illinois. … Rutgers, which hosts Akron, has won eight consecutive nonconference games and 12 of the last 13. … No. 8 Penn State is 30-3 against the Mid-American Conference going into its game against Bowling Green. … Jonah Coleman, who transferred from Arizona, ran for 127 yards and three touchdowns and averaged 7.94 yards per carry against Weber State in his first game for Washington. … Wisconsin’s 22 straight winning seasons is the longest streak among power-conference teams. … Illinois’ 45-0 win over Eastern Illinois marked its first opening-game shutout since 1986. … Minnesota plays FCS Rhode Island looking to avoid its first 0-2 start since 2020 and second since 2011.
Now don’t get upset
Michigan State is a 9 1/2-point underdog Saturday at Maryland, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Spartans QB Aidan Chiles is motivated to make amends for a performance that left him visibly angry after a 16-10 win over Florida Atlantic. Maryland won 50-7 over UConn last week, and we’ll find out if Billy Edwards Jr.’s 311-yard passing day was a mirage or a sign of things to come.
