Predicting every B1G team’s record after Week 2

If you missed B1G football this week, you missed a lot.

There were big wins, and there were big losses. And most notably, there was an upset that will shake up the CFP rankings the rest of the way.

We’re still going to try and project how each team will finish — even with the unpredictability of college football officially back.

Iowa — 11-1

You heard it here first: Iowa should be in the CFP. The Hawkeyes looked really good against Iowa State in Saturday afternoon’s Cy-Hawk game, forcing 4 turnovers — including 3 in the third quarter. They’re legit, and should be talked about that way after sizeable victories over two good teams.

Illinois — 3-9

The season started out great for Bret Bielema’s Illini. Ever since? Not so much.

Illinois looked outright bad against Virginia Saturday morning, especially on defense. Looking at their schedule, the Illini will need to shore things up quickly to get out of the cellar in the B1G West.

They’ll always have Nebraska, though, right?

Indiana — 6-6

The Hoosiers looked downright bad against Iowa last week, but definitely turned things around against Idaho Saturday night. It wasn’t enough to change their record projection, but Tom Allen’s team certainly looked better in Week 2.

We’ll see how Indiana looks against a really good Cincinnati team next week. (Spoiler: it’s counted in those 6 losses.)

Maryland — 6-6

Was it any surprise that Maryland ran circles around Howard in its 62-0 win? No. It wasn’t. It’s exactly what the Terps should’ve done, which is why their record projection didn’t change from last week.

Michigan — 7-5

It took a while, but Michigan got going and eventually put Washington away at The Big House Saturday night. The running game was strong and the defense looked good. But if Michigan wants to make noise in the B1G, the Wolverines need to jumpstart the passing game.

Still, they have a good shot at making a bowl game at the very least.

Michigan State — 6-6

Can you believe Michigan State had another 75-yard touchdown on its first play from scrimmage? Don’t get used to it. This can’t be an every week thing. (Can it?)

Like almost all other teams in the B1G, Michigan State did everything it was expected to do against Youngstown State on Saturday. Keep an eye on the Spartans to make some noise in B1G action.

Minnesota — 8-4

Losing star running back Mo Ibrahim was a huge blow for Minnesota last week. The Golden Gophers still have weapons, though, and they came in handy as they snuck out a 31-26 win over Miami (Ohio) Saturday afternoon.

It’ll be interesting to see how Ibrahim’s absence is felt going forward. For now, we’ll keep things status quo with Minnesota’s record projection.

Nebraska — 3-9

Nebraska didn’t play the cleanest game in the world, but Scott Frost’s group did what it wanted to do: win the game. It’s not like it was close — the Cornhuskers beat Buffalo 28-3 — but there were some missed opportunities that drew some attention.

Nonetheless, nothing’s changed here. The loss to Illinois still clouds expectations heading into further B1G play.

Northwestern — 7-5

If there was a game for Pat Fitzgerald to work on his defense, it was Saturday’s game against Indiana State. Northwestern handled the Summit League foe 24-6 in Evanston, and looked much better than it did against Michigan State last week.

We’ll see just how much the defense has improved since that first game as the season goes on, though. It still has a lot to prove after that season opener.

Ohio State — 11-1

Maybe these projections are bad luck considering we had Ohio State going undefeated in last week’s edition.

The Buckeyes’ loss to Oregon Saturday afternoon was the talk of college football, especially considering they were 14.5-point favorites heading in and the Ducks didn’t have star DE Kayvon Thibodeaux. Despite this, the schedule’s friendly enough for Ryan Day’s group to run the table.

But when it comes time for the CFP rankings, Saturday’s loss is going to be huge.

Penn State — 8-4

Penn State’s offense was humming against Ball State Saturday afternoon, with Sean Clifford getting it done in the air and on the ground. James Franklin’s Nittany Lions sure look better than they did at the start of last year, and that’s why they’re a team to watch in the B1G this year.

Purdue — 4-8

Did you expect anything less than a shutout from Purdue against a UConn team that lost its coach this week? The Boilermakers looked good against a bad Huskies team — as they should have. It still doesn’t change much for their B1G expectations, though.

Rutgers — 4-8

Rutgers was favored against a P5 opponent for the first time in 6 years — and they covered! The Scarlet Knights beat Syracuse 17-7 on the road. It was a game they should’ve won, though, and it doesn’t change much regarding their record projection.

Wisconsin — 10-2

After a season-opening upset loss to Penn State last week, the Badgers looked much better against Eastern Michigan Saturday night. Wisconsin needed a game like that to regroup and get ready for the rest of the schedule.

The schedule’s favorable enough that Wisconsin can get 10 wins, but whether or not the offense keeps this up will determine if that’ll change.

Stay tuned.