Many expected Ohio State and Oregon to steamroll all the way to the Big Ten title game. Now, two weeks in, it looks like many other scenarios could happen. The Indiana Hoosiers still believe the Big Ten is in their hands. It will be fun to see if the USC Trojans' freshmen have anything to say about that.
Here is what we learned following Week 2 in the Big Ten:
The Big Ten is there for the taking
Ohio State and Oregon both suffered brutal losses in Week 2. The Indiana Hoosiers look like the biggest threat, but this season is as open as it has been. If the freshmen for USC continue to overachieve, they have a shot against all 3 teams. It is not guaranteed that any of these 3 teams will walk away with the Big 10 title, making for an exciting finish to this season.
Quarterback play has started slowly
Dante Moore was amazing
for 1 half against Boise State. Against Oklahoma State, not so much. Julian Sayin has been good, but he has Jeremiah Smith, who has been on a different level to start the season. The underdogs in the conference have played the best. Jayden Maiava, in my opinion, has looked like the best quarterback, while Josh Hoover and Rocco Becht have also played to an extremely high level on their new teams. Jayden Maiava very well has a chance to end the season as the top dog in the conference.
Oregon may be a fraud
The game against Boise State was not just a Week 1 fluke. The Ducks got punched in the mouth for another week straight. This team is not a title contender. Especially not with Dante Moore getting outplayed by Drew Mestemaker. The Trojans should feel really good about their game in Week 5.
Indiana is the best team in the Big Ten
The Indiana Hoosiers have been the most impressive team to start the season in the Big Ten. There will be no regression for this team. The offense is humming, and Josh Hoover looks like he is going to be headed for a career year at Indiana. Curt Cignetti has exactly what he needs for this team to defend their title. Ohio State and Oregon both have to worry about the Hoosiers.
Michigan got it right with its coaching hire
The Michigan Wolverines could not have responded any better against a top ten team in the country in the Michigan Wolverines. Kyle Whittingham knows how to win, and in his first battle with adversity, his team came out on top. It was an interesting way to handle the Bryce Underwood discourse prior to the game, but Underwood was good enough to get the victory. Instead of the Sooners being the big story of the game, it was the Michigan Wolverines defense that stole the show. Have to give a lot of credit to Kyle Whittingham.
Contact/Follow @TrojansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of USC Trojans news, notes and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: 5 key takeaways from Big Ten football after Week 2
