Week 2 brings struggles for Oregon, Michigan, Penn State wrestle
Following an uninspiring Week 1 wrestle in opposition to FCS Idaho, during which it failed to determine dominance, No. 9 Oregon barely averted catastrophe in opposition to Boise State on Saturday. Led by extremely touted quarterback Dillon Gabriel, the Geese wanted a last-second discipline objective to scrape by the Broncos, whose robust protection uncovered key weaknesses in Oregon’s offense.
Over at College Park, No. 8 Penn State discovered itself trailing Bowling Inexperienced earlier than pulling away late whereas No. 17 Michigan confronted one in all its worst dwelling defeats in years. The defending nationwide champions have been shocked by then No. 3 Texas, shedding 31-12 in entrance of their dwelling crowd.
With the season nonetheless in its early levels, it’s clear the Huge Ten goes to maintain us on our toes.
USC, Nebraska, and Illinois emerge from the shadow
Regardless of some Week 2 struggles, the Huge Ten additionally delivered some standout performances from dark-horse groups which might be shaking up the convention race.
USC’s massive win over LSU confirmed it may be greater than prepared for its powerful matchups in opposition to Michigan and Penn State. The No. 11 Trojans, led by head coach Lincoln Riley, have significantly upgraded their protection, making them legit contenders for the Huge Ten title.
In the meantime, No. 23 Nebraska and Illinois additionally got here by means of with large wins which have each groups creeping onto the Huge Ten Championship radar.
Nebraska’s true freshman quarterback, Dylan Raiola, led the Cornhuskers to a commanding 28-10 victory over Colorado, incomes them their first spot within the AP ballot since 2019. Now, they’ll look to maintain climbing the rankings with a Week 3 matchup in opposition to Northern Iowa.
Illinois, alternatively, pulled off an upset, knocking Kansas out of the rankings with a 23-17 win. Down late within the recreation, the Combating Illini lived as much as their identify, clawing their approach again to victory and making their case as a group to look at within the Huge Ten.
Whereas it is solely simply two weeks of soccer behind us, one factor’s clear — the Huge Ten is shaping as much as be extra unpredictable than ever this season.
