Big Ten Week 2 Report Cards: How All 18 Teams Performed

The Big Ten finished Week 2 with a 15-3 record, with Michigan, Iowa, and UCLA suffering road losses. Fourteen of 18 B1G teams are 2-0, and the Bruins are the only winless team in the conference.

OREGON DUCKS | GRADE: A+

Week 2 Result: Oregon 69, Oklahoma State 3 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 100%

Nice. Mike Gundy’s OSU may prove to be hot garbage, but they’re still a Power Four program. That was as dominant as one Power Four school can look against another Power Four school. The Ducks averaged a first down (10.26 yards) per play!

ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI | GRADE: A

Week 2 Result: Illinois 45, Duke 19 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 91.3%

Did the Illini benefit from five Duke turnovers, including four fumbles, all of which were lost? Duh. Obviously. So, let’s account for “turnover luck” (14.7). Illinois still wins by double digits! How about that? The Illini were the better team and were exceptionally efficient on offense. That was a quality road win against a Power Four team.

MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS | GRADE: A-

Week 2 Result: Minnesota 66, Northwestern State 0 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 100%

The only reason Minnesota won by 66 points was that they took their foot off the gas. When the Gophers were ahead 59-0 in the second quarter, sportsbooks were posting in-game lines over 80 points. They scored just seven points in the second half as P.J. Fleck showed mercy on the Demons. They had ten times (!) the amount of yards as Northwestern State.

NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS | GRADE: A-

Week 2 Result: Nebraska 68, Akron 0 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 100%

Sophomore QB Dylan Raiola set career highs with 364 yards and four touchdowns. Five different Huskers had a catch of at least 35 yards, and Emmett Johnson rushed for 140 yards on 14 carries, while the defense pitched a shutout. Yes, it was Akron, but you can only play against those who are on your schedule that week.

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES | GRADE: A-

Week 2 Result: Ohio State 70, Grambling 0 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 100%

We’re giving the Buckeyes an A-, but this was a practice test that won’t count against their overall grade. Having said that, some of their numbers would have been impressive against air, as OSU more than tripled Grambling’s yardage.

WASHINGTON HUSKIES | GRADE: A-

Week 2 Result: Washington 70, UC Davis 10 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 100%

With 70 points, the Huskies blew by the game total over/under of 54.4 by themselves. The last time Washington scored 70 points in a game was in 2016. Their 60-point win falls just short of the school record 66-point margin set in 1931 against Idaho (66-0).

INDIANA HOOSIERS | GRADE: B+

Week 2 Result: Indiana 56, Kennesaw State 9 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 100%

After a sloppy first half, the Hoosiers kicked into high gear for the final 30 minutes and finally looked like the bully we remember from last season. WR1 Elijah Sarratt and QB Fernando Mendoza connected for three touchdowns and are getting on the same page.

NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS | GRADE: B+

Week 2 Result: Northwestern 42, Western Illinois 7 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 100%

I’m not sure Northwestern will have a better offensive game this season. Preston Stone picked up 8.4 yards per pass, and as a team, the Wildcats rushed for 281 yards (6.9 YPC). The defense was less than three minutes away from pitching a shutout. For a team projected to win three games, it was an A+ effort, but this is the Big Ten, and you don’t get graded on a curve.

USC TROJANS | GRADE: B+

Week 2 Result: USC 59, Georgia Southern 20 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 100%

The defense looked a little sleepy to start the game; otherwise, it was another dominating performance for the Men of Troy. Jayden Maiava’s (422 yards, 4 TDs on 24 passes) production is off the charts. RB Waymond Jordan (16 carries, 167 yards) and wideouts Makai Lemon (4 receptions, 158 yards, 2 TDs) and Ja’Kobi Lane (3 receptions, 91 yards, TD) are as exciting a trio as you’ll find in the Big Ten.

PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS | GRADE: B-

Week 2 Result: Penn State 34, FIU 0 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 100%

The defense was outstanding. The offense, however, is still lacking in explosiveness. In particular, the passing attack. Drew Allar averaged fewer yards per play than running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.  

MICHIGAN STATE | GRADE: C+

Week 2 Result: Michigan State 42, Boston College 40 (2 OT) | Postgame Win Expectancy: 25.7%

The offense looked pretty good, but the defense was shredded through the air. When Aidan Chiles throws four touchdowns to no interceptions at home to a so-so opponent, it shouldn’t be that hard. It was a great win for their season, but they will need to play better to reach their goals. I left this game feeling BC was the better team.

RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS | GRADE: C+

Week 2 Result: Rutgers 45, Miami Ohio 17 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 68.7%

I know what the final score says, and while I mostly liked what I saw from their offense, especially the starting wideouts, Rutgers allowed 8.36 yards per play to a bad Miami (OH) offense that picked up 2.93 yards per play in Week 1 against Wisconsin, when they were shut out. No bueno.

WISCONSIN BADGERS | GRADE: C+

Week 2 Result: Wisconsin 42, Middle Tennessee 10 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 100%

The score was 14-10 at the half, before the Badgers woke up. QB2 Danny O’Neil (23 of 27, 283 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) looked much more comfortable than he did when he came in for an injured Billy Edwards in Week 1. However, Wisconsin had a negative EPA per rush. That’s unacceptable against a foe like Middle Tennessee.

IOWA HAWKEYES | GRADE: C-

Week 2 Result: Iowa State 16, Iowa 13 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 25.8%

If not for an interception when Iowa’s receiver slipped (which led to an ISU TD) and a third-down conversion off a tipped pass to set up the game-winning field goal for the Cyclones, Iowa could have easily won this game. Doesn’t mean I liked what I saw from the Hawkeyes. The defense was good, but the offense is inspiring “drive to 325” jokes.

MARYLAND TERRAPINS | GRADE: D+

Week 2 Result: Maryland 20, Northern Illinois 9 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 98.7%

Did you see what the rest of the Big Ten did to teams ranked outside the SP+100? The Terps were in a one-score game going into the fourth quarter at home. NIU barely beat Holy Cross in Week 1! Maryland won the war through the air but was grounded, as the Huskies outgained them 180 yards to 86 rushing. Come on.

MICHIGAN WOLVERINES | GRADE: D+

Week 2 Result: Oklahoma 24, Michigan 13 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 6.1%

The Wolverines got whupped even more than the final score indicated. There’s not a unit, except for maybe the running backs, that didn’t need to play better. The good news is, all things considered, this might have been their most challenging game of the year.

PURDUE BOILERMAKERS | GRADE: D+

Week 2 Result: Purdue 34, Southern Illinois 17 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 95.9%

A 17-point win against Southern Illinois? Ouch. The offense lacked any explosiveness, and as a team, they averaged just 4.0 yards per carry. The defense allowed the Salukis to have a very respectable 44 percent success rate (57 percent in the red zone) and a positive EPA per dropback. Not impressive.

UCLA BRUINS | GRADE: D

Week 2 Result: UNLV 30, UCLA 23 | Postgame Win Expectancy: 9.3%

After scoring three points in the first half, the offense woke up in Las Vegas, but it was too little, too late. It also came against a poor Rebels defense that had allowed a ton of yards in their first two games. It wasn’t the bounce-back performance the Bruins needed following their blowout loss to Utah.