The Big Ten is already the biggest loser of Week 1 in college football

The Big Ten Conference went 16-2 across Week 0 and Week 1 but you wouldn't be able to tell based on how much its biggest fan bases had to sweat throughout. In fact, the conference almost lost two more games it was expected to handle without a problem. There's reason to be concerned after the conference's elite spent the offseason scoreboard pointing when the SEC would puff its chest.

First it was Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights inexplicably lost to the lowliest UMass team -- by 16 points. The Minutemen entered the game as 29.5-point underdogs but never looked like it, snapping a 16-game losing streak that dated back to October 2024. It was also the program's first win over a power conference opponent since it joined the FBS in 2012.

Big Ten looks less dominant than SEC out of the gate

Outside of that massive embarrassment, two ranked Big Ten squads nearly suffered season-imploding upsets right off the bat. No. 2 Oregon survived a 34-27 scare from Boise State but the Ducks are being forgiven considering the Broncos are favored to be the Group of Six representatives in the College Football Playoff. However, it was No. 16 Michigan that controversially escaped Western Michigan with a last second (literally) walk off Hail Mary touchdown. The Bryce Underwood-led offense absolutely struggled in the dramatic 13-12 victory.

No. 17 Washington also struggled against cross-state rival Washington State, managing just 10 points in the first half. But you can easily give the Huskies a pass for winning a tight contest over a recently former power conference opponent.

SEC teams had a dominant start to the season

When you glance at the start SEC teams had to begin the year, your eye should immediately be drawn to Baton Rouge. No. 11 LSU absolutely smacked a Clemson team many thought would expose head coach Lane Kiffin as a fraud. The rest of the conference also understood the assignment.

All but two SEC teams won their games by over 15 points, some of them double or nearly triple that margin. Only Auburn and Ole Miss won marquee matchups with power conference foes by a handful of points. It was a strong showing for those who predicted the SEC is tighter in talent and more wide open than it's been in a long time.

Granted, the SEC teams that blew out their opponents (outside of LSU) were playing sacrificial lambs paid heftily for their hides. The space in which the argument can be made the Big Ten had the worse debut is sustained by the fact it went undefeated and the close calls were against Big 12 (Baylor) and ACC (No. 24 Louisville) foes respectively. The Big Ten played as many games against other power opponents but won one (California, ACC) and lost the other (No. 4 Notre Dame).

How can the Big Ten rebound?

The narrative moving forward is going to be how well Big Ten teams can rebound or continue to steamroll across the next couple of weeks where more buy games and inter-conference challenges will take place. Additionally, can the SEC keep up its stretch of dominance or will its members come back down to Earth at some point?

No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Texas will headline that battle. The winner will put their respective conference back on top and the loser may be in an early hole that could break momentum. No. 10 Oklahoma vs. No. 16 Michigan and Mississippi State vs. Minnesota will round out the Big Ten-SEC challenge slate for Week 2. We'll learn a lot about both leagues from those matchups alone.

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