I’ll be honest, this is the most fun week to do this sort of column. I’ll be providing the major takeaway from every team on Sunday morning throughout the season, and I’ll do my best to provide a new insight.

But the first week is the best. After all of the speculating and projecting through the offseason, we finally get to see each team in action. The B1G fared well Saturday, going 5-1 in non-conference play.

With that, here’s the big takeaway from each team during Week 1:

Winners

Ohio State — The defensive concerns aren’t going away

Ohio State won on a Thursday night on the road with a new QB in the rain, with the running backs looking outstanding. But my big takeaway was Ohio State’s defense didn’t look any better than last year in the 45-31 victory, as it struggled against a below-average Minnesota offense. The Golden Gophers were without their best wideout, and Mohamed Ibrahim left with a leg injury in the second half (though not before 163 yards and 30 carries). Minnesota really had one guy out there who even looks like a wide receiver and struggled with drops, yet it racked up 205 passing yards on only 25 attempts. In 2 of the last 3 years, Ohio State has won in spite of its defense. Will it be 3 of 4?

The bright spot: Zach Harrison. It’s no secret that the Buckeyes absolutely need a huge season from Harrison, the former 5-star recruit who projected to be their next great pass rusher. That didn’t come to fruition last season, and I think the lack of an elite pass rusher really hurt that secondary. There weren’t a ton of opportunities for a pass rush against Minnesota since they run the ball so much and when they don’t, they use a ton of RPOs, but Harrison made the type of game-changing play that Ohio State will need with its leaky secondary.

Michigan State — The Spartans finally have a running game!

It’s been a running theme (pun intended): Michigan State has no rushing attack. Well, I think the Spartans can put those concerns to rest. Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker was outstanding in the 38-21 win over Northwestern, running for 264 yards and 4 TDs on 23 carries. He sprinted for a 75-yard TD on his very first touch as a Spartan, setting the tone for a Michigan State team that had just 1 TD from running backs all of last season. The Spartans had 5 on Friday, as Jordan Simmons caught one on a screen pass. The offensive line looks like it has made significant strides.

Penn State — This looks like a special defense

That was an incredible performance from Penn State’s defense in the 16-10 win at No. 12 Wisconsin. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like it. That defense had to be on the field for 21:29 in the first half because the offense managed only 1 first down — and didn’t let up a single point! The Nittany Lions blocked a 25-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter after several great plays in coverage from linebacker Ellis Brooks, and Nick Tarburton recovered a fumble on a botched QB-RB exchange. Jaquan Brisker and Ji’Ayir Brown sealed the game with interceptions in the red zone. It was the definition of bend but don’t break. I’m not sure how, but Penn State’s defense won that game by allowing the offense some time to figure it out. That has to make offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich feel good knowing that he can play up-tempo and risk some quick possessions and that the defense can handle it. Though I’m sure defensive coordinator Brent Pry would have some objections to doing that too often.

Iowa — The Hawkeyes are the clear top dog in the West

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Look around the rest of the West, and it’s not been a great opening week. Minnesota couldn’t hang with Ohio State (though not many can), Wisconsin made way too many mistakes in a loss to Penn State, Northwestern got pummeled by Michigan State and Nebraska already lost to Illinois. One week doesn’t make a season, but pummeling No. 17 Indiana 34-6 (which was ranked 1 spot higher than Iowa) was an eye-opener. The Hoosiers beat Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin and gave Ohio State a close game last year, and then added a lot of talent via the transfer portal — but they were not in the same league as the Hawkeyes, who once again have a terrific defense. Iowa looked a whole lot better than the 18th best team in the country, and it’s going to be exciting to see the Hawkeyes take on Iowa State next week.

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Michigan — A QB controversy is coming (eventually)

Cade McNamara performed as well as he could’ve, completing 9 of 11 passes for 136 yards and 2 TDs in the easy 47-14 win over Western Michigan. Since the Wolverines had the game in hand, 5-star freshman JJ McCarthy came in and got everyone excited with a ridiculous 69-yard TD throw. That’s unfortunate for McNamara because at the first sign of trouble, fans are going to clamor for the 5-star freshman. For now, McNamara will have to find a way to be that efficient without Ronnie Bell, who was carted off the field with a leg injury.

Nebraska — It’s possible for Adrian Martinez and the Huskers to play a clean game

I honestly didn’t know if it was, considering it’s always the little things that hold back the Huskers. Scott Frost even mentioned that he was obsessed with that in the aftermath of the 52-7 win over Fordham. Adrian Martinez didn’t have any turnovers and was on the bench in the third quarter with the lead well in hand. For once, Huskers fans and players could enjoy an easy win in which plenty of reserves got to play.

Rutgers — The Scarlet Knights continue to be well-coached

What’s a sign of a good team, aside from having great players? Not making mental mistakes and taking advantage of the opponent’s miscues. Rutgers checked those boxes in overwhelming Temple 61-14. The Scarlet Knights have a ton of talent on the way in Greg Schiano’s second season, but the current group continues to impress. They won the turnover battle 5-0, notching a safety and a pick 6. How else do you explain putting up 61 points with under 400 yards of offense?

Maryland — Dontay Demus Jr. and Rakim Jarrett are one of the top WR duos in the Big Ten

Seriously, aside from Ohio State’s Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, who else are you taking? Maybe Penn State’s Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington, but I’m not so sure. Demus (6 catches for 133 yards and a TD) and Jarrett (6-122-1) had monster games in the win over West Virginia. As long as these 2 are on the field, Maryland will never be out of a game. Taulia Tagovailoa has great chemistry with both of them already. Demus was honorable mention All-B1G the last 2 years and now he has a running mate in Jarrett, a former 5-star recruit who has lived up to the hype in his second season of college ball. It’s going to be fun to watch these 2 as long as Tagovailoa is healthy.

Purdue — The defense is better … so far

The Boilermakers are on their 3rd defensive coordinator in 3 years, so any sort of improvement is a great sign. And that’s what we saw in the 30-21 win over Oregon State in which the Boilermakers allowed 363 yards (and only 78 on the ground). Jeff Brohm vowed to take a more hands-on approach on that side of the ball. So far, so good. After allowing a TD 3:17 in, the Boilermakers didn’t allow another point until the fourth quarter.

Losers

Indiana — Michael Penix Jr. isn’t the same player … yet

Look, I’m not going to overreact to one game, especially when it is against one of the country’s premier defenses. But the Indiana QB played very poorly in the lopsided loss at Iowa. The stats say he threw 3 INTs, but it easily could have been 5 or 6. He was off the mark all afternoon and finished only 14-of-31 for 156 yards before getting pulled for Jack Tuttle in the fourth quarter. It was his first game back after an ACL injury, so that’s important context. His offensive line is one of the worst in the Big Ten, too. And he doesn’t have a lot of chemistry yet with Florida State transfer DJ Mathews, Texas A&M transfer Camron Buckley and USC transfer Stephen Carr. But if Indiana wants to remain in the Top 25, Penix has to be a whole lot better.

Wisconsin — The offense is broken

There are a lot of questions that need to be answered after a 16-10 loss to Penn State. Let’s start with, seriously, what on Earth was that? How do you have the ball for nearly 22 minutes in the first half and not score a point? Did Graham Mertz get worse? Where was Jalen Berger? Most thought that a fully healthy team would resemble the offense we saw early last season, not the one that struggled to put up points in games 3-6 last season. But this offense looked worse. There was no rhythm. Mertz had significant accuracy issues, and I’m talking more than just the interceptions on the last 2 drives. Even some of his completions were the result of great catches by his receivers. Mertz also couldn’t hold onto the ball. It was a very disappointing opener.

Northwestern — Hunter Johnson is much improved since 2019

The scoreboard doesn’t tell the story. Northwestern moved the ball, and that was thanks to Johnson, the former 5-star recruit who transferred from Clemson 2 years ago with high expectations but struggled mightily. That was not the case in Friday’s loss to Michigan State, as Johnson played very well. He wasn’t perfect, and you can’t expect him to be, but Johnson made some really nice downfield throws, finishing xx of xx for xxx yards and TD. And he passed the eye test, too, throwing into tight windows to Stephon Robinson and Bryce Kirtz. Considering Johnson had just 1 TD pass and 4 INTs in 2019 on x.x yards per attempt, Friday was a huge success for Johnson. I’m excited to watch him this season.

Minnesota —Dylan Wright has star potential

Minnesota has produced some very good wideouts the last few years in Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman. Chris Autman-Bell appears ready for a good season, but with him out on Thursday, Texas A&M transfer Dylan Wright stepped up. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound sophomore looked like the real deal in the loss to Ohio State. The numbers (5 catches for 57 yards) weren’t crazy, but how many guys in the Big Ten can do this? Not bad for his first career TD. Minnesota is a run-first team, but look for Wright, a former 4-star recruit, to be a key threat in the passing game.

Illinois — The Nebraska win was a mirage

Most people probably had Illinois at 1-1, and just like we all thought, the Illini are 1-1. The 37-30 loss to UTSA doesn’t kill all the good vibes from the win over Nebraska last week, but it sure does dampen the mood a bit. Just think of how Nebraska feels. Anyways, this isn’t a terrible loss or even that shocking of a result as UTSA went 7-5 last year. There are going to be uneven moments with a first-year coach, even one with as much experience at Bret Bielema. The Illini will still be a tough matchup in the West, as they were for Nebraska. But week to week, it’s clear that we can’t expect this to be a consistent threat yet.