Chaos did, in fact, ensue this week in the Big Ten, with six conference teams falling short. One was the consensus top team in the conference, Ohio State, which suffered a devastating blow to title contender Texas. USC did not look that impressive Saturday, but the Trojans still are in a good position to make a run at the conference title.
Here are the scores from this weekend in Big Ten football, plus my breakdown for each team:
Friday: Boston College 28-21 vs Rutgers
Antwan Raymond and KJ Duff will be guys who play in the NFL very soon. The rest of this Rutgers team has fallen short. This is yet another winnable game that Rutgers lets fall right through their hands. Now they will face off against USC in Week 3, a game primed to be another blowout loss for them.
Saturday: Indiana 55-0 vs Howard
Indiana looks exactly
like the team they were last season. Josh Hoover has an elite quarterback for the Hoosiers quickly. This team looks very dangerous on both sides of the ball. They left Howard with no breathing room in every aspect of this game.
Oklahoma State 39-31 vs Oregon
Oregon's performance last week lingered into this week. This is not the same team with title expectations. Dante Moore got outplayed by Drew Mestamaker. It is hard for USC not to feel great about playing this team in Week 5.
Michigan 17-10 vs Oklahoma
All the talk surrounding Bryce Underwood and his job security did not stop the Wolverines from pulling off a huge upset. This is a great sign that the Wolverines hired a great coach. The Wolverines have enough talent to win football games like this, but performances like this under the circumstances that they have been under take a great coach to pull off that feat. All the doubt should clear up following this week. Michigan's defense looks every bit a unit that can cause their opponents chaos.
Penn State 27-9 vs Temple
The Matt Campbell era continues to get off to a good start. Rocco Becht looked impressive yet again. Penn State so far is living up to the early hype to start the season. The Nittany Lions could be headed for a top 5 finish in the Big Ten this season.
Wake Forest 38-36 vs Purdue
Purdue let a potential big win slip out of their hands. This game goes to show that the Boilermakers are still a way away from being in contention.
Washington 16-14 vs Utah State
The Huskies' offense for another week gets outshone by their defense. The Huskies are getting victories, but they are in anything but a commanding fashion. It will be interesting to see how this team fares in their first real test against USC.
Duke 31-27 vs Illinois
This game was very telling for Illinois. Against a quality opponent, they fell short and gave no confidence that this team can compete in their conference. Duke won this game on the ground as Nate Sheppard was spectacular. That is a way many teams in the Big Ten can take down the fighting Illini.
Michigan State 35-7 vs Eastern Michigan
Cam Edwards carries the Spartans to a commanding win with 21 carries for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Spartans' offense has been a nice surprise to start the season.
Mississippi State 38-13 vs Minnesota
Kamario Taylor put together a Heisman-level performance against the Gophers' defense. He had his way all game long. This was a big test for the Gophers, and they showed they are not a top-tier Big Ten team in this game. The offense could not hang with a premier offense, and their defense got exposed.
Maryland 38-14 vs Connecticut
Malik Washington threw for 300 yards and propelled the Terrapins to their 2nd win of the season. Washington when he is on, makes the Terrapins a fun team to watch and a nightmare for opposing defenses.
Nebraska 56-7 vs Bowling Green
Anthony Colandrea lights up the bowling green for 4 touchdowns through the air, and freshman Jamal Rule impresses on the ground. The Cornhuskers did exactly what they were supposed to win this game. Yet this is not an impressive team in regard to the Big Ten.
Wisconsin 36-9 vs Western Illinois
Wisconsin takes down Western Illinois handily, but they leave the victory with key injuries and huge question marks about the team moving forward.
UCLA 28-10 vs San Diego State
The Bruin's new identity as a team that runs the football looks like a great winning formula. Wayne Knight leads the way with 3 touchdowns on the ground.
Texas 24-23 vs Ohio State
As brutal a loss as you can imagine. The Buckeyes controlled this game all the way until the 4th quarter, and then Arch Manning and the Longhorns scored 21 unanswered points. Ohio State Buckeyes looked more than human in this huge loss.
Iowa 16-13 vs Iowa State
Iowa wins a defensive battle against their rival. No doubt this team's defense will be the story all season long, but still, in conference play, this offense will need to step it up. Hank Brown will need to be more productive.
USC 49-30 vs Louisiana
Even with Jayden Maiava nursing an arm injury, the USC Trojans' offense remains explosive. The Trojans' struggles against a dual-threat quarterback reveal themselves in this game. USC should have kept this game out of reach, but it was another game in which they took their foot off the gas. This was a step in the wrong direction.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten football Week 2 scoreboard: Ohio State and Oregon lose
