Exhale, Oregon fans. The Ducks’ underwhelming performance wasn’t the only surprise that came out of the Big Ten in wWeek one. Across the country, teams from Oregon’s new conference broke in the 2024 season. How did some of them fare in their season openers?
No. 23 USC defeats No. 13 LSU 27-20 in Las Vegas
With eight seconds remaining, USC (1-0) barreled into the endzone to secure the Trojans’ first win of the season. A back-and-forth classic highlighted the strength of Lincoln Riley’s latest team and handed LSU’s (0-1) Brian Kelley his third-straight 0-1 start.
The Vegas lights lived up to the hype and produced one of college football’s best Week 1 games. USC has a ranked win under its belt as it prepares for its first season in the Big Ten Conference.
No. 8 Penn State topples West Virginia 34-12 on the road
The West Virginia University Mountaineers (0-1) hosted the No. 8 Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0) to kick off the season. In what was anticipated to be one of the better games on the Week 1 slate, the Lions dominated WVU despite a hostile crowd and climate.
The Nittany Lions collected 457 total yards (222 on the ground) as they ran right past the Mountaineers for one of the most impressive wins the Big Ten had in Week 1.
Wisconsin avoids upset with 28-14 win over Western Michigan
The Western Michigan University Broncos (0-1) weren’t picked by many to be much of a force in the Mid American Conference, but they gave the Badgers (1-0) all they could handle in Week 1. Wisconsin’s transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was limited to just 192 passing yards in his Badgers debut, but led a late scoring drive to put the game out of reach.
No. 2 Ohio State molly whops Akron in 52-6 route
The highly-ranked Buckeyes (1-0) did to the University of Akron (0-1) what everyone thought the Ducks would do to the Vandals in Week 1. Transfer quarterback Will Howard threw for 228 yards and three scores in his debut while Ohio State’s defense limited the Zips to a pair of field goals.
No. 25 Iowa shuts out Illinois State 40-0
The Hawkeyes (1-0) get a lot of criticism for their lack of offense year in and year out, but put on a show against Illinois State University (0-1) in Week 1. Iowa limited the Redbirds to just 189 total yards while tallying 492 of its own. Along with forcing three turnovers, the Hawkeyes demonstrated that they could be a sleeper team in the Big Ten this season.
No. 9 Michigan downs Fresno State 30-10 in Davis Warren’s debut
In somewhat of a shocking turn of events, the Wolverines (1-0) named Davis Warren their starting quarterback for the 2024 season. While his first game wasn’t overly flashy (15-25 for 118 yards), it was good enough to beat Fresno State University (0-1), one of the teams in the Mountain West Conference that’s expected to be pretty good in 2024.
The Wolverines have a tough task: following up their 2023 National Championship campaign after losing their coach, quarterback and a slew of other players. They have an intriguing game as they host No. 4 The University of Texas (1-0) next week.
Dylan Raiola dazzles as Nebraska houses UTEP 40-7
The Cornhuskers’ (1-0) highest-ranked recruit in program history made his first start in a rousing win over the University of Texas at El Paso Miners (0-1) on Saturday. Dylan Raiola had just eight incompletions in a game where he threw for 238 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Nebraska won its first contest of 2024.