Issues abound: What we learned about Big Ten football in Week 2
Week 2 wasn't a week of big matchups in the Big Ten but there was just enough to help paint the picture of what the conference could look like this season.
The Minnesota Gophers should take extra notice regarding what's happening around them as they look ahead toward a difficult trip to Chapel Hill this week and into a conference slate that includes games against blue bloods Michigan and Ohio State.
With that, there's plenty that can be learned. Here's what we saw in Week 2.
1. The Luke Fickell Era is off to a rocky start
The Wisconsin Badgers got off to a slow start in Week 1. Then they leaned on the running game, jumped around and all was well in Madison after a 38-17 win over Buffalo.
This week, the Badgers got off to a similar start but weren't able to pull off a comeback against Washington State.
Wisconsin fell behind early and allowed 17 points in the second quarter to go into halftime down 24-9. Even worse? The running game struggled, mounting only 90 yards against the Cougars and fumbling three times between quarterback Tanner Mordecai and running back Chez Mellusi.
The good news for the Badgers was that Mordecai threw for 278 yards and a touchdown but the transition to a "Power Air Raid" offense hit a snag in Pullman on Saturday night.
2. Matt Rhule's rebuild has a ways to go
The Huskers had a case to walk out of Minneapolis with a win in Week 1 but four turnovers and a couple of questionable calls left them empty-handed.
P.J. Fleck said Matt Rhule had Nebraska headed in the right direction after the game and through the first 25 minutes of their game with Colorado, it looked like the Huskers might be better than they appeared.
Then Deion Sanders laughed and ran them out of Boulder.
The Buffaloes were dominant, racking up 454 yards of total offense including 393 passing yards and two touchdowns from sudden Heisman candidate Shedeur Sanders in a 36-14 victory. Meanwhile, Jeff Sims lost a pair of fumbles and threw an interception and Chubba Purdy closed the game, leaving a quarterback controversy in Lincoln.
While Rhule has established a reputation for rebuilding programs at Temple and Baylor, it appears he has a long way to go before doing the same at Nebraska.
3. Iowa's offense is still holding them back
If I sound like a broken record from last week, it's because this has been the refrain for the Hawkeyes over the past five years. Iowa has always had a stellar defense but it's their offense that continues to hold them back from being a legitimate Big Ten contender.
This continued on Saturday afternoon when the Hawkeyes battled Iowa State for the CyHawk Trophy. Although they defeated the Cyclones for the seventh time in the past eight years, Cade McNamara only threw for 123 yards and the running game only managed 112 yards while relying on their defense to earn the win.
This storyline will play out throughout the season as offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz needs to average 25 points per game (and have Iowa win seven games) to keep his job. With 44 points in the first two games, Ferentz is already behind the pace and needs the Hawkeyes to pick it up on offense.
4. Ohio State still has quarterback issues
Ohio State looked a lot better going against FCS opponent Youngstown State but there were some encouraging signs after scratching by Indiana in Week 1.
Marvin Harrison caught a 71-yard touchdown pass from Kyle McCord in the first quarter on his way to seven catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns and Emeke Egbuka caught five passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in the 35-7 victory.
But outside of that, McCord didn't have an impressive performance, completing 14-of-20 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns. While McCord is firmly ahead of Devin Brown for the starting job, it will be interesting to see how McCord develops as the Buckeyes get deeper into the season.
5. Michigan is the class of the Big Ten
Like many years, the conference is likely going to come down to Michigan and Ohio State. At this point, it appears that Michigan is the team to beat and looked like a national title contender in a 35-7 win over UNLV.
J.J. McCarthy continued to look like a rising star, completing 22-of-25 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns while adding three carries for 38 yards. Blake Corum ran for 80 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries and the Wolverines had a 35-0 lead over the Rebels at the end of the third quarter.
All of this has Michigan looking scary-good and the Wolverines will be the class of the Big Ten until proven otherwise.
