In the Big Ten's famous "Maps" commercial, The Guards sing that the conference will be "shining everywhere."
Lately, it's been stumbling everywhere.
The league that claims the past three national champions spent the first two weeks of 2026 delivering upset losses, ugly performances and enough self-inflicted wounds to fill an entire highlight reel. If the Big Ten wants a fourth consecutive title, it hasn't done much to suggest it's coming.
Which makes the conference a fitting headliner for this week's Flop 10, a collection of bad losses, baffling decisions and memorable face-plants from around college football.
Big Ten's big whiff
You'd think 11 of your teams winning during nonconference weekend would be good, but it's not the amount, but the substance of it. Against fellow Power conference opponents, Big Ten teams went 2-6, with only Michigan and Iowa able to flex what little muscle the conference had. That also includes the conference bowing down to the ACC, with Wake Forest (Purdue), Duke (Illinois) and Boston College (Rutgers) making it an 0-3 weekend against the Atlantic Coast.
Hey, at least Indiana beat Howard and Southern California is 3-0 against Group of Six teams, right?
Ryan Day
Ohio State did plenty wrong during its 20-point collapse against Texas, but no mistake loomed larger than Ryan Day's late-game clock management.
As the Longhorns drove toward a potential go-ahead score, Day used all three of his remaining timeouts in an effort to preserve time for his offense. Yet once Texas reached the goal line, Ohio State continued trying to keep the Longhorns out of the end zone rather than conceding a touchdown and maximizing the time remaining.
The Buckeyes stuffed two rushing attempts, but not a third. Hollywood Smothers finally broke through for the game-winning score, giving Texas a 24-23 lead.
The problem? By the time Texas crossed the goal line, only 25 seconds remained.
Had Ohio State allowed Texas to score earlier, it likely would have had nearly twice as much time for a final drive. Instead, the Buckeyes took possession at their own 25-yard line with no timeouts and virtually no margin for error.
Their last-gasp attempt failed, capping a collapse that might have been less devastating with a different decision at the goal line.
Dante Moore and Oregon
Cover of EA Sports College Football 27. Heisman Trophy favorite. Could have been a top pick in the NFL Draft. All of it was in the cards for Moore.
But what happened against Oklahoma State suggests Moore should have departed when he had the chance. The veteran quarterback struggled against the Cowboys, throwing for 191 yards while completing just 48.3% of his throws, the worst of his Oregon career, as his team was upset. He didn't look in command for the majority of the game, and let a Cowboys team that was fresh off a loss to Tulsa keep in him check, a disastrous look for one of the best players in the country.
Even more embarrassing, the Ducks social media team has yet to post the final score.
Got to take the L.
Oklahoma offense
The misery of offense in Norman continues. John Mateer was supposed to take the Oklahoma offense to new heights but it appears Brent Venables remains in neutral after his attack couldn't do much in the upset loss to Michigan.
The Sooners outgained Michigan but didn't do much with it. Mateer looked out of sorts for the majority of the game, and it was all encapsulated by the final drive with a chance to tie the score, with one minute left and no timeouts available.
Four plays, 10 yards that ended with a sack that was the knockout blow. Back to the same ol' issues for Oklahoma.
Wagner
The biggest loser of the day belong to Wagner, which got absolutely pummeled by James Madison in an eye-popping 87-3 result. The 80 consecutive points the Dukes scored were aided by an NCAA record-tying three punt returns for touchdowns.
While that's not good for the Seahawks special team unit, it was especially painful for punter Vincent Muscillo. His first punt was not only blocked for a touchdown, but he took an unfortunate hit to the lower body in the process that about summarized the day for Wagner.
Ouch 😳 pic.twitter.com/CojLEhzjur
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 12, 2026
Akron
The Zips won their first game of the season against Robert Morris, but the story of the day was the "Offensive Coordinator of the Game." A promotion that allowed one season ticket holder to help script Akron's opening drive of its home opener, it was won by a real estate CFO from Cleveland Marty Whims II.
In the highly anticipated moment, Akron looked good under Whims with its first play resulting in a first down. The Zips were about to get a second one in what was turning into an impressive performance. Instead, Akron fumbled it, prematurely ending the fun opportunity.
COLONIALS FORCE A ZIPS FUMBLE ‼️ CALL STANDS#BobbyMo pic.twitter.com/oE3P2C0Ahg
— RMU Football (@RMU_Football) September 12, 2026
Way to let the guy down.
Referee hit
Referees are part of the field, and sometimes that comes with a risk. Western Kentucky running back Le'Kamren Meadows gave one a loud reminder during the game against Georgia.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) September 12, 2026
Minnesota
The Golden Gophers hoped to row the boat against Mississippi State at home, and instead got boat-raced by the Bulldogs. The final score was 38-13, and that still doesn't fully encapsulate how much of a hurting Kamario Taylor and company put on Minnesota. It was 28-6 at halftime that allowed the Bulldogs to coast the rest of the way through.
As a result, the crowd at Huntington Bank Stadium emptied out fairly quickly, resulting in a pretty lonesome fan caught in the stands.
It's just that kinda day for Minnesota pic.twitter.com/Glmff0AKV6
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 12, 2026
Iowa
So Iowa didn't lose, beating rival Iowa State in the Cy-Hawk Series battle thanks to six points in the final quarter.
The Hawkeyes got to carry the Cy–Hawk Trophy in front of their home fans — only for them to drop it right on the field. Can't be doing that.
Iowa dropped the Cy-Hawk trophy🫢 pic.twitter.com/CvBPNbLJjC
— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) September 13, 2026
Flooding
Division III Washington and Jefferson College enjoyed a stellar first half against Keystone when it built a 42-0 lead at halftime. The Presidents were well on their way to victory with 416 yards compared to the Giants' 39, so the second half really wasn't needed to be played.
Mother Nature took that literally.
Game called on account of this. pic.twitter.com/ektQ04qZqN
— Alex Wiederspiel (@theradiospiel) September 12, 2026
A storm cause massive flooding at Cameron Stadium, literally making the field disappear. Officials had no other option but to call the game at halftime. Probably was for the best.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football Week 2 Flop 10: The Big Ten has a big problem
