1. Ohio State: Not the most inspiring 52-17 victory I've seen, but it was still a 52-17 victory. Highlights are the passing game - Fields was lights out throwing and the receiver group is as strong as ever. Question marks are the running game, which finished with 215 yards but looked pretty rough early on. Also rough early on, the defense. They settled down, but man had some flashbacks to 2018. In any event, for a first game it was fine, but they will need to tighten up some things before heading to Penn State.
2. Wisconsin: A dominant effort by the Badgers, who now have a legit quarterback for the first time in a while. The defense was smothering, Mertz was dealing, and the only question mark was the running game, which struggled a bit to open things up for their no-name-so-far backs.
3. Michigan: Good looking game against the shorthanded Gophers. The offense was the real story - they were effective running and passing, and should have had even more points if they could kick a field goal. The defense was just fine, not dominant but they were overall very effective.
4. Penn State: Yes, they lost. The Penix was just a bit too long for them. But otherwise they dominated the game. The Hoosiers finished with 211 yards in a game that went to overtime. Turnovers, missed field goals, and general dumbness doomed the Lions, and this is a lot easier to fix week to week than lack of talent.
5. Indiana: Tough to place them. On one hand, they beat a top ten team. On the other, they looked like crap most of the game. Of course, looking like crap is a theme for most of these teams below them so I suppose it's not a reach to put them here.
6. Northwestern: Hey, why not. They beat the crap out of Maryland, and while everyone may do that, Northwestern is a team that can be pretty good if they play offense, which I hear they may try to do this year.
7. Purdue: I saw none of their game and only heard that both teams looked like garbage. But they were less stinky than the Hawkeyes.
8. Iowa: A disappointing start, though their box score stats don't look too bad so not sure how they only mustered 20 points. There is hope, I suppose.
9. Minnesota: Maybe too far a drop. They looked pretty moribund on defense, and probably made Michigan look better than they are. But they were also short handed and had no specialists or much of their offensive line, so I should probably cut them a break. Will look again when they are healthy.
10. Nebraska: Showed a lot of spirit for most of the game, and clearly enjoyed trying to separate OSU players from their heads, but lack of talent doomed them from the start. The lack of receiving options on this team is strange, but they do have some playmakers back there, especially the newest McCaffery, so maybe they will find more space against other teams.
11. Rutgers: Victory!
12. Illinois: No victory.
13. Michigan State: Sad no victory
14. Maryland: blech
