Things to watch this week in the Big Ten Conference:
No. 11 Southern California (2-0) at No. 18 Michigan (2-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
This is a must-see game for college football fans who grew up watching these teams square off in the Rose Bowl. It’s now a conference game and USC’s first as a Big Ten member. The teams haven’t met in the regular season since Michigan’s 20-19 win in the Big House in 1958.
The programs are on different tracks coming into this matchup. USC has a rising star in QB Miller Moss and a revitalized defense, and the Trojans should be considered a contender to win the Big Ten or, failing that, make the College Football Playoff.
Defending champion Michigan’s struggling offense gets QB Alex Orji in the starting lineup for the first time this week, and that doesn’t bode well for a defense that allows big passes.
Paul Sancya / AP
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, USC is a six-point favorite.
No. 24 Illinois visits No. 22 Nebraska for a Friday night conference opener. The Illini are 3-0 for the first time since 2011 and the Cornhuskers are 3-0 for the first time since 2016. Five-star QB recruit Dylan Raiola is everything the Huskers could hope for, but he’ll be tested by an Illinois defense that is sophisticated in the way it switches coverages.
UCLA travels to No. 16 LSU for a game that has lost some of its luster. The Bruins, under first-year coach DeShaun Foster, struggled to win in Hawaii and were soundly beaten at home by Indiana. While the Tigers have had their issues, they will likely make it a long night for UCLA in Death Valley.
Iowa travels to Minnesota to play Floyd of Rosedale. This is the earliest the teams have played in the Bronze Pig game in a season. The Gophers won 12-10 in Iowa City last year in a game with the lowest over-under point total (30.5) in 20 years. Oddsmakers expect more offense this year: the over-under is 35.5 at BetMGM.
Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke enters the home game against Charlotte having completed 74.3% of his passes for 251.7 yards per game. He has thrown a Big Ten-high seven touchdown passes and has yet to be intercepted.
Maryland WR Tai Felton enters the home game against Villanova as the first player in program history to start the season with three straight games of 100 yards receiving.
Rutgers’ Athan Kaliakmanis enters his game at Virginia Tech as the first Scarlet Knights quarterback in nine years to throw for three touchdowns in consecutive games.
Ohio State, hosting Marshall, has allowed six points through its first two games. That’s the Buckeyes’ third-fewest total since 1950. The 1960 and 1963 teams opened with consecutive shutouts. … When Kent State visits Penn State, it will be the 21st time in 23 seasons that the Nittany Lions play a Mid-American Conference opponent. … Northwestern, visiting Washington, has allowed one sack through three games, compared to nine at this point in 2023. … Washington has won 16 straight games at home, the second-longest streak in the FBS behind Georgia (26). … Purdue’s 2,229-mile trip to Oregon State marks the farthest the Boilermakers have traveled for a game since traveling 2,233 miles to play Oregon in 2009.
Michigan State (3-0) is a 6 1/2-point underdog heading into its visit to Boston College (2-1). Both teams are playing with newfound confidence under first-year coaches. Two weeks ago, the Spartans won a thrilling Big Ten road game against Maryland that they likely would have lost a year ago. QB Aidan Chiles’ confidence is growing, the run game has been productive, if a bit too reliant on the big play, and the defense has intercepted four passes and leads the Big Ten with 27 tackles for loss.
