In a Week 2 with no Big Ten matchups, some league quarterbacks put some polish on their stats against vastly inferior opponents.

On the other extreme, the offensive issues of Illinois and several of its B1G West brethren were exposed.

And then there’s the new sensation …

With Penn State putting up a B1G-best 63 points in Week 2, Drew Allar — in just his 2nd career start — served notice to Michigan’s JJ McCarthy and Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa to check the rear view mirror. There’s a 6-5, 240-pound object that’s closer than it may appear.

The 2022 5-star recruit didn’t top 300 yards passing as he did in his starting debut in Week 1, but he nearly matched McCarthy for efficiency and added a rushing touchdown to his 1 passing TD against overmatched Delaware. He’ll get a chance to prove himself against tough defenses at Illinois and vs. Iowa the next 2 Saturdays.

For now, here’s the list entering Week 3, going from No. 14 down to No. 1:

14. Tayven Jackson, Indiana

Week 2: vs. Indiana State (W, 41-7), 18-21, 236 yards
Season: 130 ypg, 73.1%, 157.08 rating

Jackson got the start over Game 1 starter Brendan Sorsby for the Hoosiers’ 1 guaranteed victory of the season. Both QBs were solid against the Sycamores, but neither threw a TD pass for the 2nd straight week. The numbers look a lot better than they did post-Ohio State. But Indiana is now the only B1G team without a touchdown pass.

Up next: vs. Louisville (2-0)

13. Jeff Sims, Nebraska

Week 2: vs. Colorado (L, 36-14), 9-15, 106 yards, INT
Season: 110.0 ypg, 58.8%, TD, 4 INTs, 99.36 rating

Sims wasn’t ready for Prime Time, and doesn’t look ready to be an effective passer in the B1G. The Georgia Tech transfer again looked solid in the run aspect of his dual-threat game, netting 67 yards and a TD on 10 carries. But right now the winless Huskers have the only B1G starting QB with a rating under 100.

Up next: vs. Northern Illinois (1-1)

12. Ben Bryant, Northwestern

Week 2: vs. UTEP (W, 38-7), 11-17, 116 yards, TD
Season: 142.5 ypg, 58.5%, TD, 2 INTs, 102.34 rating

The transfer from Cincinnati managed the Wildcats to a sorely need victory a week after a brutal near-shutout loss to Rutgers. The vagabond veteran, a 6th-year senior, faces a much tougher challenge this weekend at No. 21 Duke.

Up next: at No. 21 Duke (2-0)

11. Athan Kaliakmanis, Minnesota

Week 2: vs. Eastern Michigan (W, 25-6), 10-15, 117 yards, INT
Season: 156.5 ypg, 57.6%, TD, 2 INTs, 101.00 rating

PJ Fleck found his new workhorse against the Eagles, giving Darius Taylor 33 carries (for 193 yards) a week after the Gophers ran the ball only 24 times total while scraping by a bad Nebraska team. Fleck’s talk of setting the former 4-star Kaliakmanis free this season might have been hyperbole. Fleck has been more known for exaggeration and working Mo Ibrahim to exhaustion than fielding a big-time passing game since 2019, when 4-year starter Tanner Morgan had his 1 breakout season throwing the ball. We’ll see how the balance shifts as the Gophers (2-0) take a significant road trip this weekend.

Up next: at No. 20 North Carolina (2-0)

10. Luke Altmyer, Illinois

Week 2: at Kansas (L, 34-23), 19-28, 202 yards, TD, 2 INTs; 70 rushing yards, 2 TDs
Season: 204.0 ypg, 68.5%, 3 TDs, 3 INTs, 139.21 rating

In addition to his passing, the transfer from Ole Miss also led the Illini in rushing for a 2nd straight game. Bret Bielema won’t be comfortable asking a QB to carry this much of the load, even though he loves his new signal caller. RB Reggie Love III’s 45 yards on 8 carries isn’t going to get it done. Chase Brown is sorely missed. Altmyer faces another daunting task this Saturday.

Up next: vs. No. 7 Penn State (2-0)

9. Gavin Wimsatt, Rutgers

Week 2: vs. Temple (W, 36-7), 10-21, 198 yards, TD
Season: 180.5 ypg, 54.0%, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 127.85 rating

Wimsatt continued to help the running game (8 carries for 24 yards with a long of 17), protect the ball, complete roughly half his passes and otherwise trust the defense. Some other B1G schools would love to have those numbers — and the Scarlet Knights’ 2-0 record.

Up next: vs. Virginia Tech (1-1)

8. Cade McNamara, Iowa

Week 2: at Iowa State (W, 20-13), 12-22, 123 yards, INT
Season: 157.0 ypg, 55.8%, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 115.33 rating

Since the first quarter of the Hawkeyes’ opener, the Michigan transfer has completed just 51.2% of his passes for 228 yards, no TDs and 1 pick. So much for changing the dynamics of quarterback play in Iowa City. On the ground, McNamara has 3 carries for minus-12 yards. Spencer Petras 2.0? Is there a soft landing in which Iowa wins the B1G West in old-school fashion while losing OC Brian Ferentz to the 25-ppg mandate?

Up next: vs. Western Michigan (1-1)

7. Tanner Mordecai, Wisconsin

Week 2: at Washington State (L, 31-22), 25-40, 278 yards, TD
Season: 233.5 ypg, 69.0%, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 127.93 rating

The transfer from SMU cleaned up the interceptions after throwing 2 in Week 1, but this time lost 2 fumbles. Turnovers were an issue for Mordecai with the Mustangs, and tougher defenses await in B1G play than he faced in the American Athletic Conference. He and the Badgers’ revamped offense remain a work in progress.

Up next: vs. Georgia Southern (2-0)

6. Hudson Card, Purdue

Week 2: at Virginia Tech (W, 24-17), 23-34, 248 yards
Season: 251.0 ypg, 62.5%, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 138.70 rating

The transfer from Texas led a 13-play, 74-yard drive for the winning score, running 12 yards for 1 first down, passing for 12 yards to convert a 3rd-and-11, then traversing the final 2 yards on the ground. It marked the 2nd time in as many weeks that Card has engineered a go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter. This time, in a game delayed form almost 5 ½ hours by rain and lightning, the lead held up. Next up is a Syracuse team that has hammered its first 2 opponents by a combined 113-7.

Up next: vs. Syracuse (2-0)

5. Kyle McCord, Ohio State

Week 2: vs. Youngstown State (W, 35-7), 14-20, 258 yards, 3 TDs
Season: 248.5 ypg, 64.2%, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 157.83 rating

After bizarrely freezing out his top receivers in Game 1, McCord got Marvin Harrison Jr. (7-160, 2 TDs) and Emeka Egbuka (5-94, 1) involved against the Penguins. That should clinch the starting job for the junior over redshirt freshman Devin Brown. The more the former 4-star recruit settles in, the better the numbers are likely to be. The Buckeyes are No. 5 in the country for a reason, and McCord is capable of keeping them undefeated deep into the season. A showdown at No. 9 Notre Dame in 2 weeks will clarify the narrative.

Up next: vs. Western Kentucky (2-0)

4. Noah Kim, Michigan State

Week 2: vs. Richmond (W, 45-14), 18-22, 292 yards, 3 TDs
Season: 285.5 ypg, 67.9%, 5 TDs, 0 INTs, 189.56 rating

While things have gotten bizarre off the field for the Spartans, the new starter at QB is taking care of business between the lines. A 3-star recruit in 2020, Kim leads the Big Ten  in passing yards per game through the first 2 starts of his career. That’s all the more impressive considering leading returning receiver Keon Coleman jumped ship late in the transfer period and is now starring for Florida State. As long as the fallout from Mel Tucker’s suspension doesn’t affect veteran OC Jay Johnson, Kim has a chance to maintain his roll. A visit from No. 8 Washington presents a step up in class, though.

Up next: vs. No. 8 Washington (2-0)

3. Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland

Week 2: vs. Charlotte (W, 38-20), 25-36, 287 yards, TD, 2 INTs
Season: 273.5 ypg, 68.1%, 4 TDs, 2 INTs, 148.05 rating

After an extremely slow start against the 49ers that included a pick-6, the 5th-year senior rallied the Terps with 38 unanswered points. Tagovailoa was 2-for-4 for minus-3 yards and the pick-6 out of the gate, but turned things around starting with the final play of the first quarter and never looked back.

Up next: vs. Virginia (0-2)

2. Drew Allar, Penn State

Week 2: vs. Delaware (W, 63-7), 22-26, 204 yards, TD
Season: 264.5 ypg, 78.2%, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, 182.97 rating

Sure, we could have waited another week to move the new kid above the veteran Tagovailoa in our rankings. But why? Allar is bigger, stronger, more accurate and less turnover-prone than Tua’s little brother. One of these guys is high on Heisman and NFL future watch lists, and it’s not Maryland’s 4th-year starter.

Up next: at Illinois (1-1)

1. JJ McCarthy, Michigan

Week 2: vs. UNLV (W, 35-7), 22-25, 278 yards, 2 TDs
Season: 279.0 ypg, 87.3%, 5 TDs, 0 INTs, 202.49 rating

McCarthy added 3 carries for 38 yards to his ledger against the Rebels, so he’s now averaging 9 yards per carry as well as 10.1 per pass attempt. With Michigan having dessert before the main course again this season, the 2021 5-star recruit has begun another assault on the all-time completion percentage record. Even with the Wolverines showing some mercy this year to their cupcake non-conference opponents, the 6-foot-3 gunslinger out of La Grange, Illinois, has the Heisman hype train on schedule.

Up next: vs. Bowling Green (1-1)