While the Minnesota Gophers had the day off after beating Nebraska on Thursday night, they got a glimpse of what the Big Ten could look like as college football returned in earnest at the weekend.
The Big Ten went 9-3 and 7-1 in non-conference games in the first week of the season and we learned a lot about how some of the changes will impact the conference and who could be contenders in 2023.
Wisconsin will still run the ball under Luke Fickell
The Badgers are undergoing massive changes as they unveiled their “Power Air Raid” offense under new head coach Luke Fickell, and although Wisconsin will throw the ball more, the running game continues to be the foundation in Madison.
Things weren’t looking great for the Badgers as Tanner Mordecai threw a pair of interceptions while completing 24-of-31 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown, but the Badgers were able to pull away thanks to massive games from Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi.
Chez Mellusi😳 This Wisconsin RB room is something else!
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 2, 2023
Mellusi ripped off an 89-yard touchdown run while running for 157 yards on 13 carries and Allen ran for 141 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries to help the Badgers run away from the Bulls in a 38-17 victory.
If Fickell can get more out of the passing game, the Badgers should have their best offense in years and will be able to compete in the West Division.
Brian Ferentz has a difficult task in Iowa
We here at the Sickos Committee, as Iowa fans, are here to support Brian Ferentz's "Climb to 325." Each week, we'll be showing his progress.
Volume Up. pic.twitter.com/oQnbnc6eSp
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) September 3, 2023
Many were surprised when Iowa didn’t fire Brian Ferentz after ranking 12th in points per game (17.7) last season but his return came with a caveat that the Hawkeyes must average 25 points and win seven games to keep his job.
Ferentz’s journey to score 325 points began with a flurry on Saturday as Cade McNamara 36-yard touchdown pass to Seth Anderson was the Hawkeye’s first opening drive touchdown pass to begin the season since 1991.
Iowa scored again when McNamara connected with Erick All for a three-yard touchdown pass but the Hawkeyes stalled from there, adding a field goal in the second quarter and a Kaleb Johnson touchdown run in the fourth quarter to win 24-14 over Utah State.
The Hawkeyes should be better on offense as McNamara (Michigan), All (Michigan) and Anderson (Charleston Southern) were all transfers from a year ago. With former Ohio State receiver Kaleb Brown also joining, Iowa should have the personnel for an explosive offense, but it remains to be seen if Ferentz can make it happen.
J.J. McCarthy is the best quarterback in the Big Ten
At this time last year, J.J. McCarthy was battling McNamara for the starting quarterback job at Michigan. One Big Ten championship and a trip to the College Football Playoffs later, McCarthy is one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, and it appears he’s taken another step this year.
Beautiful pass from J.J. McCarthy for Roman Wilson's third TD of the day🎯
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 2, 2023
McCarthy was dominant for the Wolverines, throwing for 280 yards and three touchdowns in a victory over East Carolina. While head coach Jim Harbaugh served the first game of a school-issued suspension for violating recruiting rules during the COVID-19 pandemic, it didn’t seem to matter as Michigan established itself as the conference favorite.
Drew Allar could be the Big Ten’s breakout quarterback
So if McCarthy has graduated to the top QB in the conference, who could break out this year. Gophers fans are hoping the answer is Athan Kaliakmanis, but Penn State’s Drew Allar made a compelling case against West Virginia on Saturday night.
Drew Allar vs West Virginia (2023)
• 21-29
• 72.4%
• 325 Passing Yards
• 3 Passing TDs
• 86.0 QBR
• 11.2 YPADrew Allar showed out in his first career start 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WVLXFHXNJd
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) September 3, 2023
Allar produced fireworks on Penn State’s opening drive with a 72-yard touchdown pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith and settled in from there. The sophomore finished the evening with 325 yards passing and three touchdowns and will be an interesting name to watch as the Nittany Lions host Delaware next week.
Ohio State has major questions on offense
With Marvin Harrison Jr., Julian Fleming and Emka Egbuka, the Buckeyes have three of the best receivers in college football. But questions elsewhere didn’t allow Ohio State to reach its full potential in a 23-3 win over Indiana.
The Buckeyes have to replace C.J. Stroud at quarterback after he was the second overall pick in the NFL Draft and that process got off to a shaky start on Saturday. Kyle McCord completed 20-of-33 passes for 239 yards and an interception in his debut and Devin Brown went 1-of-3 for -2 yards.
With an offensive line that lost three starters to the NFL, Ryan Day has his work cut out for him as the Buckeyes look to return to contention in 2023.
The Big Ten West is wide open again
Although it carried plenty of dramatics in the final minutes, the Gophers’ victory over Nebraska may have been a signal of what the West Division could look like before USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon join the conference next season.
The Minnesota/Nebraska game was anything but sharp, yet no other team in the division announced their presence with authority.
- Buffalo went into halftime down 14-10 in Camp Randall before Wisconsin pulled away for a 38-17 victory.
- Iowa only beat Utah State 24-14 despite scoring touchdowns on their first two drives.
- Illinois squeaked by Toledo 30-28.
- Purdue lost to Fresno State 39-35.
- Northwestern was pummeled by Rutgers 24-7 on Sunday.
While there are some obstacles, such as retaining Paul Bunyan’s Axe against Wisconsin and earning their first win over Iowa since 2014, Minnesota should have an excellent chance to compete for a division title if they can figure things out offensively.
