The Ohio State Buckeyes might've learned a little bit about themselves in their Week 1 destruction of Akron, but the program surely had its eye on the rest of the Big Ten. Teams like Michigan, Oregon, and USC were in much tougher battles, some of which were self-imposed. While some Ohio State fans wanted a sharper performance, at least the Buckeyes won by 46.
The same couldn't be said for Michigan against Fresno State and Oregon against Idaho. USC notched a huge victory against LSU, proving to be tougher and more mentally prepared than expected. USC might be a bigger threat this fall.
Let's examine Ohio State's high-level takeaways about the rest of the Big Ten one week into the season.
Big Ten Week 1 Lessons for Ohio State Rivals
Michigan Can't Throw
There are major issues for That Team Up North thus far. Despite the Wolverines surprisingly going with QB Davis Warren over Alex Orji in order to boost their passing game, things were ugly against Fresno State. Warren lacked poise and accuracy throughout Week 1, completing only 15 of his 25 passes with a putrid 4.7-yard average.
This is a massive deal for Ohio State to see. While we might see Michigan pivot to Orji and embrace a run-first approach, the worst-case for Ohio State was for Warren or Orji to be competent passing. If things continue this way, where Warren can only complete dump-offs and screens, then The Game might be an ugly blowout.
Not that Buckeyes fans would complain.
Oregon Won't Out-Talent Everyone
I tried to warn everyone about what Dillon Gabriel is as a quarterback and why he's become an empty stats guy since leaving UCF, but some people have to see it to believe it. Oregon barely got out against Idaho despite Gabriel completing 41-of-49 attempts for 380 yards. He failed to hold onto the ball and avoid sacks, tanking promising drives and robbing the Ducks of more points.
Alas, Oregon won, but Idaho hung around despite the massive talent difference. I expect the Ducks to be much sharper when Ohio State faces them in Eugene next month, but Oregon clearly has work to do. Both teams have clear vulnerabilities and aren't inevitable if Week 1 was a sign of things to come.
USC Has a QB and Defense
Well, USC beat LSU, which is in part because Brian Kelly is a terrible in-game coach. But USC hasn't exactly done well in that area under Lincoln Riley, either. Week 1 went well for USC as they were the tougher team in the trenches, and Miller Moss was legitimately good.
If USC tackles as well as they did against LSU, then the Trojans will be a sleeper in the Big Ten this fall. There's a ton of time left for USC to revert back to its old habits of whiffing on tackles and failing to block free rushers, but maybe there's an urgency without Alex Grinch stinking up the sidelines as the defensive coordinator.
We'll see.
Penn State Didn't Mess Around
One of the more popular upset picks from Week 1 was West Virginia over Penn State, but the Nittany Lions shut that down with ease as the storms brewed. The Nittany Lions got big games out of Drew Allar and Nicholas Singleton, showing off better trench play than what the team showed at any point in 2023. They'll be a tough out if Penn State can continue to produce a decent offense.
This is especially key since Ohio State tends to be projected to face Penn State twice. Obviously they'll face off in November in Happy Valley, but also the potential of a rematch in the College Football Playoff.
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