Weekend update: Big Ten football unfolds
Although USC was on its first bye week, its future opponents kept on playing.
By WILEY HAGA
The 2024 college football season is in full swing, and while No. 11 USC didn’t take the field this weekend, many Big Ten games had major implications for the Trojans’ future matchups.
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Michigan vs. Arkansas State
After losing nearly every key piece of its championship team, the No. 18 Michigan Wolverines (2-1) have looked like a shell of their former self. After an unconvincing win over Fresno State (2-1) and a home blowout loss to the University of Texas at Austin (2-0), the Wolverines squeaked out a 28-18 win over the Arkansas State Red Wolves (2-1) Saturday.
Despite the win, Michigan’s passing offense never got going with senior quarterback Davis Warren under center as he threw for 122 yards and three interceptions with no touchdowns. That performance would lead to Warren being benched in favor of junior quarterback Alex Orji.
However, Michigan found some success on the ground, with senior running back Donovan Edwards running for 82 yards and a touchdown. Graduate running back Kalel Mullings added 153 yards and two touchdowns.
Michigan now sits at No. 11 in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin vs. Alabama
What Wisconsin fans hoped to be a close game at home turned out to be anything but, as the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) walked into Camp Randall Stadium and blew out the Badgers 42-10.
In addition to the defeat, the Badgers lost their starting quarterback, redshirt senior Tyler Van Dyke, who exited with a knee/leg injury. Redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke passed for 125 yards and a touchdown in his absence.
With the loss, Wisconsin (2-1) drops to No. 15 in the Big Ten.
Nebraska vs. Northern Iowa
It’s been the Dylan Raiola show in Lincoln ever since the true freshman quarterback arrived for the Cornhuskers. Raiola has led Nebraska to a 3-0 record for the first time since 2016, including a win over rival Colorado, accumulating 670 yards and five touchdowns over three games.
In Nebraska’s 34-3 win over Northern Iowa (2-1), Raiola threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception.
With the Cornhuskers’ blazing start, the once-storied program is in prime position to compete in the Big Ten again. Whether or not the hype around Nebraska is warranted, given the quality of the team’s wins so far, their No. 22 spot gives USC another ranked opponent on its schedule.
Nebraska moves up to No. 4 in the Big Ten with the win.
UCLA vs. Indiana
As the weekend’s only Big Ten intraconference matchup, Saturday’s game in Pasadena had the biggest conference impact. It was a 29-point rout for the visitors as the Indiana Hoosiers (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) dominated on both sides of the ball against the Bruins, totaling 430 yards of offense and holding UCLA (1-1, 0-1 Big Ten) to just 13 points.
Redshirt senior quarterback Kurtis Rourke cut up the Bruin defense, throwing for 307 yards with four touchdown passes. On the other side of the field, redshirt senior quarterback Ethan Garbers struggled to move the ball against the Hoosiers’ defense, throwing for 137 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception.
With the win, Indiana jumps to No. 1 in the Big Ten while UCLA falls to No. 18.
While the Trojans won’t play No. 3 Ohio State or No. 9 Oregon, both teams are considered strong contenders to win the Big Ten. Ohio State is currently No. 6 in the conference, while Oregon sits at No. 5.
One team USC will play this season is No. 10 Penn State, who the Trojans will host in October. The Nittany Lions are currently No. 7 in the Big Ten.
Whether it was from nostalgia over the Pac-12 or how last season went, how USC (2-0) would fare in the Big Ten was a major question all offseason. Going into the 2024 season, many in the college football community wrote off the Trojans, citing the team’s supposed lack of toughness on defense and regressions on offense without Heisman winner Caleb Williams.
Fast-forward to now, and the Trojans sit at No. 9 in the Big Ten and 11th in the nation. With how conference opponents have surprised like Nebraska or disappointed like Michigan, the Big Ten looks wide open for several teams, including USC, to compete for the trophy.
