Big Ten Week Two Preview
College Gameday rolls into Ann Arbor for the rivalry game between No. 17 Michigan (1-0) and No. 14 Notre Dame (1-0). Michigan and Notre Dame meet for the 38th time, but the last for the foreseeable future as the teams do not have any future scheduled meetings. Michigan has won three of the last four, but Notre Dame won last season on its way to a perfect regular season.
No. 19 Northwestern (1-0) returns home to host Syracuse (0-1) after a week-one victory on the road at California. Northwestern hopes to have QB Kain Colter ready to go, after the mobile quarterback suffered a concussion in the first quarter against Cal. The Wildcats opened last season with a 42-41 victory at Syracuse.
Michigan State (1-0) plays host to a South Florida squad that allowed 53 points in week one to McNeese State. The Spartans, meanwhile, forced four turnovers vs. Western Michigan helping them pull away with a 26-13 week one win.
Illinois (1-0) and QB Nate Scheelhaase welcome Cincinnati (1-0) in week two. Scheelhaase passed for 416 yards and two touchdowns in the Illini’s 42-34 win over Southern Illinois. Illinois and Cincinnati have met once before, with the Bearcats claiming a 49-36 victory in 2009.
Penn State (1-0) welcomes Eastern Michigan (1-0) to Happy Valley for the Nittany Lions’ home opener. WR Allen Robinson shined in the week one victory against Syracuse, catching seven balls for 133 yards and a touchdown despite only playing the second half.
After a week one victory over Buffalo, No. 2 Ohio State (1-0) stays at home to face San Diego State (0-1). The Buckeyes started fast against Buffalo, jumping out to a 23-0 lead before holding on for a 40-20 win. With a win on Saturday, Ohio State would start the season 2-0 for the fourth-consecutive year.
Navy plays its first game of the season at Indiana (1-0). The Hoosiers scored the most points in the FBS in week one, putting up 73 points against Indiana State. Navy came from behind to defeat Indiana last season, 31-30.
No. 22 Nebraska (1-0) once again started the season with a win, but hope to improve defensively in week two at home versus Southern Miss. The Huskers snuck past Wyoming behind 375 rushing yards despite allowing 602 total yards on defense. QB Taylor Martinez injured his shoulder in the matchup, but reports say he is probable for this weekend.
Minnesota (1-0) is the only Big Ten squad to hit the road in week two as the Gophers travel to New Mexico State (0-1). Jerry Kill’s team blew past UNLV in week one scoring 51 points, while New Mexico State started strong, but faded in the second half in a blowout loss at Texas.
Big Ten teams welcome three FCS opponents into town this weekend. No. 21 Wisconsin (1-0) hosts Tennessee Tech, while Iowa (0-1) and Purdue (0-1) face Missouri State (0-1) and Indiana State (0-1), respectively.