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There are hundreds of stories to be told in the first week of college football, and that’s certainly the case in the Big Ten as well.
Here are the five juiciest storylines in the conference in Week 1:
1. Will the heat be on Jim Harbaugh if Michigan loses to Notre Dame?
The conversation during Jim Harbaugh’s three seasons at Michigan is that he hasn’t been able to beat his arch rivals. He’s 0-3 against Ohio State and 1-2 against Michigan State and now here comes Notre Dame, another legitimate rival, with the rivalry renewed Saturday night in South Bend.
It’s basically a pick ’em game between No. 14 Michigan and No. 12 Notre Dame. Michigan fans are expecting more and they want to see some titles won by Harbaugh. That will all come later in the Big Ten, of course, but this one is important. And if Michigan loses, the heat will surely get turned up on Harbaugh. This is not a make-or-break game for the Wolverines’ goals in 2018, but a win would sure keep the noise level down.
2. How will Ohio State players act without Urban Meyer around?
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has been suspended for three games for his role in the Zach Smith disaster, and Ryan Day is the interim head coach until he returns. Oregon State, probably the worst team in the Power 5 conferences, is a great opener but I’m still curious to see how Ohio State players react to being back on the field without their leader.
Will there be much of that “when the cat’s away the mouse will play” stuff? Ohio State always plays with a lot of swagger, and it often rubs people the wrong way. It’s going to be interesting to see how disciplined they are and it’s also interesting to see how good they look after basically going through an entire preseason without Meyer around.
3. Does this mess at Maryland get worse on Saturday against Texas?
Maryland coach D.J. Durkin is on indefinite leave after the tragic death of one of his players, Jordan McNair, and first-year coach Matt Canada is in charge as the Terps open the season against No. 23 Texas at FedEx Field. Maryland upset the Longhorns in Austin last year, but paybacks could be hell here.
It’s going to be very interesting to see how the Maryland players react to all this controversy. The games must go on, but are the Terps mentally ready to play without their head coach? Against a very good Texas team seeking revenge, the start to this season could be very ugly.
4. Will Iowa QB Nate Stanley survive after suspensions on offensive line?
His starting tackles are out for a game because of suspensions, so it’s going to be interesting to see if Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley can stay upright against Northern Illinois’ outstanding defensive front.
NIU is legit, one of the best teams in the Mid-American Conference with a defensive line that was ranked in the top 10 in the country in one national ranking. Stanley just might take a beating, and that’s never a good thing. Need a reminder? Flash back to how Michigan’s season fell apart last year because their QBs got clobbered every week. Could that happen in Iowa City on Saturday?
5. How will the ‘best conference in America’ talk go after the weekend?
The Big Ten has five teams ranked in the top 14 in the first AP poll of the season — more than any other league in the nation — and there’s plenty of bragging going on that the league is the best in America this year. That could be true, but now that the games have started, the proof will be in the pudding.
The big boys — No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 10 Penn State, No. 11 Michigan State and No. 14 Michigan — need to carry the flag for the league, and carry it every week. Michigan, especially, needs to win at Notre Dame to help solidify the argument.
Tom Brew has been a recognized reporter in Big Ten sports for decades. Among other projects, he writes about Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.