Big Ten Football: Week Two Preview

Already criticized for disappointing bowl performances and weak non-conference schedules, the Big Ten Conference's football teams had something to prove going into the 2009 season. But several of the teams wasted no time raising eyebrows in the opening week...and not in a good way.  

If Big Ten teams want to avoid getting thrust into college football's "overrated" discussion this early in the year, then some emphatic victories in Week Two could make people quickly forget the way many of the conference's teams stumbled out of the gate in 2009.  

Here are the Big Ten matchups for Week Two...the games that will give us further insight on where the conference is headed this season.   

USC at Ohio St.

When I mentioned certain Big Ten teams "stumbling out of the gate," you could probably put the Buckeyes near the top of that list. Playing in front of 108,000 loyal fans, Ohio St. looked flat and played without a sense of urgency.

They were able to escape with a 31-27 win over Navy, but going into the USC game, Jim Tressel has to be a bit worried.  

Ohio St. devoted a lot of time and effort to preparing for Navy's option offense.  Their defense will have to make drastic adjustments from Week One to be able to stop Matt Barkley and the Trojans, who put up 56 points in the final three quarters against San Jose State in their opener.  

If the defense can rattle the freshman Barkley and Terrelle Pryor can run the offense efficiently and limit turnovers, the Buckeyes could be a strong candidate to bounce back at home in Week Two.  

If they slip up in any department, though, Pete Carroll's Trojans will leave Columbus 2-0.  

Tressel will have his men prepared...Buckeyes will edge the Trojans. 

WINNER: Ohio St.

Syracuse at Penn St.

The Nittany Lions took care of business in the opening week, thumping Akron 31-7. Daryll Clark and the offense put up all their points in the first half and the defense limited the Zips to only 28 yards on the ground.  

They'll face a better-than-expected Syracuse team that controlled most of their game against Minnesota before falling in overtime. Although the Orange played well, they'll have to go on the road to Happy Valley, which is anything but happy for opponents.  

Greg Paulus played basketball in the ACC, but I don't think he's ever seen a crowd like there will be at Penn St.  

Expect the Nittany Lions to roll in this game with intimidating defense and efficient offense thanks to Daryll Clark and Evan Royster. 

WINNER: Penn St.

Iowa at Iowa St.

After needing to block not one, but two potential game-winning field goals from Northern Iowa in the dying seconds, the Hawkeyes clearly need to look themselves in the mirror.  

Yes, escaping with a 17-16 win makes them 1-0, but their confidence has to be rattled as they prepare to go to Ames this weekend to play rivals, Iowa St.  

Iowa averaged just 2.8 yards per carry and fumbled twice in Week One, so running the ball better will be a necessity if they're going to took care of business on the road against the Cyclones.  

Iowa St. is coming off a 35-17 victory in their opener over North Dakota St. and will have home field advantage against the Hawkeyes.  

I think Iowa will get back on track in Ames. 

WINNER: Iowa

Illinois St. at Illinois

The only Big Ten team that dropped their season opener was Illinois, playing at a neutral site in the Border Battle against Missouri.

Illinois was expected to win, going into the game facing a Missouri team that had to replace 23 seniors from last year's team. But the Illini fell hard, 37-9.  

Juice Williams proved to be ineffective on the offensive side of the ball, with his only major stat being an interception.  

The Illini defense struggled even more, though, and will need a good week of practice to correct all of the issues that occurred against the Tigers. The good news for Illini fans is that they're facing an Illinois St. team that lost by nearly the same margin in Week One to Eastern Illinois.  

The game should prove to be a confidence booster for Illinois and get them back on track going into their bye week. 

WINNER: Illinois

Notre Dame at Michigan

Both teams come into this contest with convincing season-opening wins.  Michigan easily knocked off Western Michigan at the Big House, 31-7. The win was highlighted by impressive performances by freshman quarterbacks Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson.  

Notre Dame ran all over Nevada in a 35-0 shutout thanks to three TD passes from Jimmy Clausen to Michael Floyd.  

The matchup will be a test for both teams.

Can Notre Dame live up to the Lou Holtz BCS hype and win in a tough environment? And can Michigan finally make their fans believe that the Rich Rodriguez Experiment is worthwhile?  

If Notre Dame can make Forcier and Robinson look like inexperienced freshmen, then the Irish could pull through. The experience of Jimmy Clausen will be huge for Notre Dame offensively, so the Wolverine defense will need to come ready to play, especially the secondary.

The Big House should most definitely be rockin'!

WINNER: Notre Dame

Central Michigan at Michigan St.

Along with a team like Northwestern, Michigan St. did exactly what you should do against cupcake opponents in Week One—dominate them in every aspect of the game.  

The Spartans dominated Montana St. 44-3, totaling almost 500 yards from scrimmage. The MSU quarterbacks, Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol, combined for five TD passes, while their running backs combined for 175 yards on the ground.  

Central Michigan, an always formidable MAC opponent, dropped their opener in Tucson against Arizona, 19-6. The Chippewas' star quarterback Dan LeFevour struggled, only amassing 108 yards passing and throwing an interception.

The Michigan St. defense will have a tougher task on their hands in Week Two when they try to contain LeFevour.  It will be hard to keep him down two weeks in a row.  

But if the Spartan offense carries their Week One success into the game against CMU, Michigan St. shouldn't have a problem getting to 2-0.

WINNER: Michigan St.

Purdue at Oregon

During their 52-31 victory in the season opener, the Boilermakers ran all over Toledo...literally. Ralph Bolden ran for 234 yards alone, and Purdue totaled 315 rushing yards on the day.

But there was plenty to complain about if you're new Purdue coach Danny Hope.  

Quarterback Joey Elliot threw three interceptions and the defense surrendered 423 yards passing to a Toledo team that won just three games last year.  If those issues spill over into Week Two's tough road game against Oregon, Purdue could get blown out.  

Oregon is coming off an emotional loss to the always-tough Boise St. Broncos. The loss included an incident that ended up resulting in a season-long suspension for their star running back, LaGarrette Blount.  

Oregon will be hungry coming into this game. Combine that with the home-field advantage and the simple fact that they're a better team than Purdue and Danny Hope and the Boilermakers will likely be leaving Eugene with a big "L."

WINNER: Oregon

Eastern Michigan at Northwestern

I don't think anyone doubted that the Wildcats would blow out Towson in their opener. They emerged 47-14 winners and quite frankly, it could've been a lot worse.  

Their offense showed balance, gaining 264 yards through the air and 221 yards on the ground.  

Their Week Two matchup against Eastern Michigan shouldn't be much more difficult, but of course Pat Fitzgerald won't tell you that. The always-hyped up Northwestern coach will have his team ready to play.  

Eastern Michigan fell to Army last week 27-14 under new coach and former Michigan defensive coordinator, Ron English.  Although he's widely respected and seems to be the right man for the job, his team will definitely run into trouble against Northwestern.  

If I'm a Wildcat fan, I'm expecting a performance on par with their win versus Towson.  

WINNER: Northwestern

Western Michigan at Indiana

The Hoosiers looked as if they were on their way to a blowout early in their opener against Eastern Kentucky, but the Colonels fought back. The Hoosiers knocked down a hail mary attempt at the end of the game, though, to clinch a 19-13 win.  

Indiana's new stadium renovation seems to have fans pouring in, and the Hoosiers will need that support as their schedule gets tougher.  

Western Michigan is coming off a loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Broncos turned it over three times in that game and will have to limit those if they want to compete with a relatively experienced Indiana team.  

The Hoosiers failed to make an impact in the running game last week, but quarterback Ben Chappell appears to be very comfortable passing in the pocket.  

If Indiana executes their game plan better than they did last week, I believe the Hoosiers' sheer talent will push them to victory over Western Michigan.  

WINNER: Indiana

Fresno St. at Wisconsin

The Badgers won this matchup last year in Fresno, 13-10, back when the Bulldogs were ranked No. 21.  This year neither team is ranked, but the game should be equally as even. 

Fresno St. is coming off a 51-0 trouncing of UC-Davis in their opener, so their confidence level should be pretty high.  

The Badgers took care of Northern Illinois 28-20 in Week One. The game wasn't that close, but Wisconsin faltered in the final quarter, surrendering 14 points to the Huskies.  

Wisconsin's offense was impressive and well-balanced. Scott Tolzien was accurate in the pocket, completing 15-of-20 passes for 257 yards, but two of his incompletions were interceptions.  

Ball security will be key against Fresno St. because if Week One was any indication, the Bulldogs can have a pretty potent offense.  

The result of this game will give Wisconsin a pretty good idea of where they stand as a football team this year.  I give them the win here.  

WINNER: Wisconsin

Air Force at Minnesota

The Gophers offense proved to be effective in Week One in terms of moving the ball down the field.  However, where it failed was in the final third. They just couldn't seem to break through the Syracuse defense when it mattered.  

Minnesota's overtime win proved to be a wake-up call, so I think you'll see a focused team this weekend.  

They have an underrated opponent in Air Force. The Falcons (who won eight games last year) are coming off a 72-0 drubbing of Nicholls State.  

The Minnesota front seven better be ready because Air Force pounds the football. They managed 72 points last week and only threw the ball seven times! They ran for eight touchdowns total.  

If the Gopher defense isn't prepared for some serious power football, the Falcons could run all over them to spoil the home opener.

The Minnesota fans will be out in full force, though, to celebrate the opening of the new TCF Bank Stadium...an advantage that could propel them to victory. Still, I take Air Force. 

WINNER: Air Force