Forde-Yard Dash: Big Ten Will Get First Big Test This Weekend

Through Week 1, the conference is unbeaten against non–power-conference opponents. Week 2 will offer six matchups that will test some teams’ mettle.

Michigan was able to get through Fresno State last week, but now gears up to host Texas. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where The Stillwater Mullet has found a new target audience for his radio show—a group that might recall when radio was the only broadcast medium. First Quarter: Twelve Angry Men. Second Quarter: Splashy Debuts. Third Quarter: Florida State’s Massive Miscalculation.

Fourth Quarter: The Big Ten’s Big Early Weekend

How good is the Big Ten this season? It’s time to start getting some tangible results that will answer the question. Week 1 was mostly empty calories, with the league going 15–0 against non–power-conference opponents and 2–1 against the big boys (the USC Trojans beat the LSU Tigers, the Minnesota Golden Gophers lost to the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Penn State Nittany Lions beat the West Virginia Mountaineers). Week 2 offers some meat and potatoes in six noteworthy nonconference contests—all played at home.

Texas Longhorns at Michigan Wolverines (31)

When: Noon ET Saturday on Fox. Line: Texas favored by 7.5 at DraftKings. Series record: Texas leads 1–0.

This is the sexiest matchup of the season to date, nationally, with the reigning national champions hosting another 2023 College Football Playoff team. It’s an elite uniform showdown. It’s a filthy-rich tradition game (Michigan is the winningest program in history, and Texas is fifth). And it’s a game carrying ’24 CFP implications as well, with both teams ranked in the AP top 10. (Put it this way: Connor Stalions would absolutely have purchased tickets for the Longhorns’ opener against the Colorado State Rams, if his scheme had not been foiled.)

The Wolverines might not have the quarterback firepower to win, but they have the defense to keep it close. Michigan’s 4.3 yards per pass attempt in defeating the Fresno State Bulldogs was its lowest since the second game of the 2021 season, and its lowest against a non–power-conference opponent since ’13. The Longhorns weren’t dominant in the running game against Colorado State, but did hit four passes of 30 yards or longer. Michigan cornerback Will Johnson vs. Texas wideout Isaiah Bond should be a fun matchup to watch.

Dash pick: Texas 21, Michigan 16.

Colorado Buffaloes at Nebraska Cornhuskers (32)

When: 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on NBC/Peacock. Line: Nebraska favored by 7 at DraftKings. Series record: Nebraska leads 49–21–2.

Realignment long ago took away this matchup of underrated vehemence between old conference rivals, but some juice has returned with the Buffaloes beating the Cornhuskers three straight times since 2018. Last season felt very much like the bitter old days, when Colorado fans stormed the field after a 36–14 win that helped turn September into the Month of Deion in the sport. Expect Nebraska fans to be extremely motivated to create a significant home-field advantage for their (perhaps) reviving program.

The quarterback matchup here is enticing, with Shedeur Sanders the established commodity and freshman Dylan Raiola the emerging talent looking to prove himself. (Perhaps by boldly throwing at Colorado star defensive back Travis Hunter.) The Buffaloes defense was strafed in the first half of the opener against the North Dakota State Bison but tightened up thereafter. Colorado had two extra days to prepare after playing Thursday night.

Dash pick: Colorado 31, Nebraska 30.

Boise State Broncos at Oregon Ducks (33)

When: 10 p.m. ET Saturday on Peacock. Line: Oregon favored by 19 at DraftKings. Series record: Boise State leads 3–0.

The series record is an eye opener, with the golden era Broncos winning regular-season games in 2008 and ’09 and then clipping the Ducks in the ’17 Las Vegas Bowl. The ’09 meeting on the blue turf ended memorably, with Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount sucker punching Boise State defensive end Byron Hout in the Oregon head-coaching debut of a Mr. Chip Kelly.

The great curiosity will be the running game: Can Boise State approximate its monster 371-yard rushing performance against the Georgia Southern Eagles, and can Oregon do better than the surprisingly feeble 107 yards it gained against the Idaho Vandals? The Broncos gave up 322 passing yards and 45 points, which should dilate the pupils of Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Dash pick: Oregon 44, Boise State 28.

Gabriel (8) could feast against the Broncos. / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Iowa State Cyclones at Iowa Hawkeyes (34)

When: 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on CBS. Line: Iowa favored by 2.5 at DraftKings. Series history: Iowa leads 47–23.

The Cy-Hawk rivalry has been simmering in the heartland for a long time, occasionally rising to the level of national relevance. Iowa usually wins under Kirk Ferentz, and usually throttles the Cyclones with defense (Iowa State has averaged 12 points per game in the last five meetings, losing four of them). When Iowa State wins, it’s close (the last five Clones victories are all by three points or fewer).

Kinnick Stadium is where opposing running games go to die, and Iowa State’s might already be dead upon arrival. The Cyclones ran for just 86 yards against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks last week. Iowa’s offense, itself a lifeless entity in recent years, robustly scored 40 points with no Ferentzes on the sideline (Kirk was suspended for a game, and Brian was fired last year). Expect a regression toward the mean, with punts filling the air for both sides.

Dash pick: Iowa 16, Iowa State 10.

Kansas Jayhawks at Illinois Fighting Illini (35)

When: 7 p.m. Saturday on FS1. Line: Kansas favored by 5.5 at DraftKings. Series history: Tied 3–3, with the Jayhawks winning last season and the Illini last winning in 1929.

Both teams tuned up against overmatched FCS opponents in Week 1, with the Jayhawks beating Lindenwood, 48–3, and the Illini beating Eastern Illinois, 45–0. Illinois QB Luke Altmyer is coming off the best performance of his career, throwing for four touchdowns on just 24 pass attempts. Kansas QB Jalon Daniels flashed his familiar big-play potential but didn’t run at all, either to guard against injury or to keep him under wraps in that area for this game. 

Dash pick: Kansas 37, Illinois 31.

Duke Blue Devils at Northwestern Wildcats (36)

When: 9 p.m. ET Friday on FS1. Line: Northwestern favored by 2.5 at DraftKings. Series record: Duke leads 13–10, having won the last five.

The game will be played in the Wildcats’ pop-up stadium by Lake Michigan, which seems an appropriate setting for two programs under reconstruction. Manny Diaz is the new coach at Duke, and he won his debut with a lot of defense and a couple of big passing plays from Texas transfer QB Maalik Murphy. David Braun is in his second season at Northwestern after taking over as the emergency interim last season and acing his on-the-job training exam. The only certainty here would seem to be a lot of defense.

Dash pick: Northwestern 17, Duke 14.

Stat of the Week

Temple (37) had 14 possessions in its season-opening loss to Oklahoma, and nearly half of them (six) ended in turnovers. They lost four fumbles and threw two interceptions, while forcing zero turnovers defensively.

And that is par for the sloppy course under Stan Drayton. In 25 games with Drayton as coach, Temple is a whopping minus-37 in turnover margin. The Owls had just five takeaways last season and 25 giveaways, ranking last nationally. In 2022 they were minus-11, which ranked 124th.

After the minus-6 fiasco in Norman, guess where Temple ranks so far in ’24? Last again.

Coach Who Earned His Comp Car This Week 

Bill O’Brien (38), Boston College Eagles. Some debut, eh? The Eagles made as good a hire as they possibly could have in the offseason, grabbing the former head coach at Penn State and the Houston Texans off the staff at Ohio State and plugging him into a fixer-upper job in his home state. O’Brien got it fixed up in a hurry, dominating a big-stage, Labor Day night game at Florida State. That should play well with recruits and NIL donors, as BC seeks to get some traction in a fairly wide-open ACC.

Robichaux (5) rushed for 85 yards and a score against FSU. / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Coach Who Should Take the Bus to Work 

Jay Sawvel (39), Wyoming Cowboys. This was a much less auspicious debut. Sawvel was promoted from defensive coordinator to replace Craig Bohl, and his first game in charge was the Cowboys’ worst defeat since 2014. Maybe losing 48–7 to the Arizona State Sun Devils is a sign that Kenny Dillingham has the Sun Devils primed for a breakout season, but for now, Wyoming would appear to have some serious work to do to compete in the Mountain West this season.

Point After

When hungry in the melting-pot city of Atlanta, The Dash recommends a visit to a nondescript strip mall on Buford Highway. The place is Gu’s Kitchen (40), a Szechuan Chinese food treasure. Check out Chef Gu’s spicy crispy beef, stir-fried string beans, thick noodles and dumplings, and thank The Dash later.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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