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10 things I’m absolutely overreacting to after Week 1 in the B1G

Garrett Kroeger

By Garrett Kroeger

Published:

What a Week 1 it was to open up the 2017 season. But how impressive was the B1G. Michigan defeated Florida down in Arlington, Purdue and Rutgers put up good fights against top 25 teams and Penn State’s Saquon Barkley dazzled as usual. Here are 10 things I’m overreacting to after an entertaining Week 1 in and around the B1G.

1. J.K. Dobbins might be better than Mike Weber: Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes my have a running back battle on their hands…or not.

Coming into the season, Weber was surrounded by all this hype that he was going to build upon his 1,000 yard freshman season. Due to an injury, he sat out of the Buckeyes’ first game against the Indiana Hoosiers which opened the door for the freshman Dobbins. And what Dobbins showed in the game against Indiana was that he is a stud.

Dobbins carried the ball 29 times for 181 yards. What he showed during those 29 attempts was that he runs with purpose, authority and vision uncanny to someone his age. Dobbins has me questioning how many carries will Weber get this season and if he will be the starter once he returns. As of right now, I believe it is all aboard the Dobbins train in Columbus.

2. Rutgers won’t be terrible this year: Yes, you read that right. The Scarlet Knights won’t be terrible this season.

Heading into its season opener, Rutgers was a 34.5 underdog against No. 8 Washington Huskies. It only lost by 16 points.

For the majority of the game, the Scarlet Knights hung with the Huskies. Now, does this mean they will be going to a bowl game this year. Who knows. But one thing is for certain, Rutgers won’t be a cake walk win like it used to be.

3. Ty Johnson deserves more hype: Saquon Barkley is hands down the best running back in the B1G, but Maryland’s Johnson can make a strong argument that he is the second best back in the conference.

What Johnson showed on the road against the Texas Longhorns was that he deserves more hype as the season progresses. Johnson ran for 132 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. That gave him an average of 11 yards per carry. This was after Johnson averaged 9.1 yards per carry last season.

Johnson flew under-the-radar this offseason. Now, he will try to prove he is one of the best backs in the nation. But, speaking of Barkley…

4. Saquon Barkley is going to be in New York at the end of the season: Yes, Barkley and Penn State played against the Akron Zips, which is not the greatest of opponents.

Barkley ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. But some of the plays he made against Akron was just absurd.

 

 

 

If Barkley keeps on making the type of plays he did against the Zips, there is no question he will be in New York contending for the Heisman.

5. The B1G East is the best division in all of college football: Lets take a look at the B1G East shall we.

Ohio State is the No. 2 team in the nation, Penn State is the No. 6 team in the country and has a Heisman contender on its roster, Michigan defeated Florida down in Arlington after a rough start, Maryland easily defeated Texas down in Austin, Michigan State has hope to reverse its fortunes, Indiana and Rutgers put up good fights with top-10 teams to open the season.

That many divisions in college football can say that they had that good of an opening weekend.

6. The greatest punt of all-time:…Or not.

 

In fairness, it is impressive that a punter missed a punt like Wyoming’s punter did. That took a lot of talent.

7. Illinois might be the worst Power 5 program this season: Fighting Illini fans, brace yourselves. It is going to be another long season in Champaign.

For the majority of its season opener against Ball State, Illinois struggled. In fact, Illinois trailed for most of the game until the final minutes of the game when it squeaked out a victory. If the Illini play like they did against Ball State all season long, expect them to lose all of their games.

However, Illinois may have some competition for the title of “Worst Power 5 program” in Oregon State. But the Illini are a safe bet to claim that honor.

8. The B1G will be decided on Oct. 28: The B1G was phenomenal during Week 1, but the conference will be decided on Oct. 28, when Penn State travels to Ohio State.

The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes looked like the top-2 teams in the conference during the opening weekend. Ohio State stormed back and easily defeated Indiana while Penn State ran wild all over Akron. With both teams having tremendous talent on their respective rosters, the B1G will be decided in Columbus.

9. Michigan’s defense will be better than last year: Despite losing 10 defensive starters, the Wolverines had one of their best defensive outings in the Jim Harbaugh era against the Florida Gators.

Michigan only allowed three offensive points and 154 total yards, including only 11 on the ground. The Wolverines also produced six sacks and three takeaways.

It was a fantastic coaching job by coordinator Don Brown. If Michigan’s defense plays like this all season, it will be better than last year’s unit and could be one of the best in school history.

10. The B1G is the best conference in college football: Overall, the B1G had a fantastic opening weekend. Need proof, just look at this statistic:

 

If the B1G keeps up this type of play, the SEC will no longer be the king of college football.

Garrett Kroeger