Maybe the Big Ten is not the Toughest Conference?

Week 1 is the week where most P4 teams play a G6 or FCS opponent. A cupcake game to get you ready for the rest of the season. A game that if you are a P4 team, you should win easily and by a lot. For some teams in the Big Ten that’s exactly what happened. Minnesota beat EIU 59-7. Ohio State beat Ball State 56-3. Even Purdue got in on the action beating Indiana State 44-19. Too many Big Ten teams did not get the memo that they are supposed to win these game easily.

UMass 37 Rutgers 21

This is how the Big Ten opened week 1. With Rutgers having arguably the most embarrassing loss of all time. For those that don’t know, UMass is one of the worst programs over the last handful of year. They won 0 games last year. That is not a typo, they did not win a game all season. UMass had not beaten a FBS opponent since they beat Army in October of 2023. They have not had more than 3 wins in a season since 2018. This is a terrible football program that was a 29.5 point underdog going into this game. I, like many others, did not have high expectations for Rutgers going into this season. No one expected this.

Michigan State 30 Toledo 20

Again we are talking about a Big Ten team that is/was expecting to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten. So why am I bringing up this game where they struggled against a good MAC team. It’s because when fans of Big Ten teams argue with fans of SEC fans about who’s conference is tougher from top to bottom, you can’t have results like this. Especially when every single SEC team won in week 1, and none of them really struggled with their cupcakes. Toledo held a lead in the 4th quarter in this game before Michigan State turned it one and ultimately won. Again, they are not a team that is expected to do much in the Big Ten, but you can’t be down in the 4th to Toledo.

Oregon 34 Boise State 27

Oregon winning this game by only a touchdown is surprisingly not concerning for me. Now it still gives the SEC ammo, but I am not concerned with Oregon coming out of this one. If you were told before the game that Oregon had nearly 500 yards of offense, and that Dante Moore completed over 75% of his passes for over 375 yards and 3 touchdowns. While holding to Boise State to under 300 yards of offense and just over 25% on 3rd downs. You would think Oregon dominated this game. Au contraire mon frère. Oregon had to squeak this one out. They were even down at halftime. This felt like Oregon was playing their first game of the season and got off to a slow start. Boise State is a very good team who could very well represent the G6 in the College Football Playoff. Boise State gave their A+ effort while Oregon gave their C+ effort. Was it concerning? Slightly. Am I concerned with Oregon’s future? Not at all.

Northwestern 34 South Dakota State 18

This was a 2 point game midway through the 4th quarter. That is something that should never happen between a Big Ten team and a FCS opponent. Now, again, this is a Big Ten team I and many others don’t expect much from. I should also give South Dakota State some respect. They are not just any FCS team, they are one of the best FCS teams. I have said for a long time that the best FCS teams can beat the bottom of the FBS, including P4 teams. Regardless, the optics of a Big Ten team only winning by 2 midway through the 4th quarter is not great.

Washington 24 Washington State 10

For a team that had over 400 yards of offense, forced 3 turnovers, and held their opponent to 0/9 on 3rd down, Washington could not shake Washington State. They were hanging around just enough to make you nervous. Washington just could not stop shooting themselves in the foot. 12 penalties for 130 yards, getting stuffed at the goal line on 4th & goal, and a missed field goal will do that to you. Washington’s defense looked really good while the offense looked a little up and down. This was a sloppy game, but I am not worried for Washington moving forward. This just gives ammo to everyone that does not believe the Big Ten is the toughest.

Michigan 13 Western Michigan 12

What an embarrassment. I don’t have the words to describe just how badly Western Michigan got screwed. Going into this season there was a lot of hype around Michigan, and rightly so. Michigan had the talent on their roster, but they did not have a competent coaching staff. They went and got Kyle Whittingham who was going to change the culture and actually give Bryce Underwood the coaching he was severely lacking in his freshman season. A lot of people, including myself, thought we would see some improvement in Underwood. Instead, He looked worse than last season. Western Michigan came into this game with a plan, and forced Michigan to play their game. Outside the scripted first drive of the game, Michigan’s offense could not do anything. You may look at the 12 points that Western Michigan scored and think the defense was at least good for Michigan. Wrong. While they weren’t terrible, they did allow Western Michigan to go on a 13 minute drive at one point. Everything really hit the fan when Bryce Underwood launched a hail mary as time expired to try and win the game. In classic Bryce Underwood fashion, he threw it out the back of the endzone not even giving his receivers a chance. That should’ve been game. Until the refs went to review to make sure there was no time left on the clock. For those watching the game on TV, there was clearly no time left and Western Michigan had won. Somehow the Big Ten/refs have a different clock they use? One that fans did not know existed and are not allowed to see. They put 1 second back on the clock, Michigan gets a second chance, and this time Bryce Underwood actually gives his receivers a chance. JJ Buchanan comes down with the ball, Michigan scores a TD to win it, and we all just witnessed the biggest screwjob in college football.

This was a very tough weekend for the Big Ten. If it wasn’t for some higher ups intervening in the Michigan game, it could have been a lot worse. For a conference that has won that last three National Titles, and boasts about being the toughest conference in the country, this was not a good look. Even if the Big Ten wins a 4th straight title, everyone will constantly point to week 1. Too many Big Ten teams struggling against lesser opponents they were heavy favorites against. SEC fans will not let the Big Ten live this down for a long time.