The second week of Big Ten football featured a few surprises and questions, big wins and plenty to discuss.
Here's a look around the conference.
1. Northwestern, Purdue continue winning ways
The Big Ten West finds itself in a unique situation as both Northwestern and Purdue are tied for first place at 2-0.
Northwestern erased a 17-point deficit to come roaring back against Iowa, picking up a 21-20 victory.
The Wildcats have gotten huge play out of transfer quarterback Peyton Ramsey this season and Saturday was no exception.
Ramsey threw for 130 yards on 11-of-18 passing and running for 26 yards. Isaiah Bowser had 25 carries for 85 yards for Northwestern, who forced three interceptions out of Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras.
Iowa’s 17-0 first-quarter lead came after Northwestern gifted the Hawkeyes (0-2) with two turnovers — a muffed punt inside the 5-yard line and a fumble near midfield. From that point on, it was all Northwestern.
For the second straight week, Northwestern held its opponent to fewer than 80 rushing yards.
Northwestern looks to move to 3-0 when they take on Nebraska.
As for Purdue, it was business as usual for the Boilermakers, who had coach Jeff Brohm back on the sidelines and earned a 31-24 win over Illinois.
The Purdue offense, led by Aidan O'Connell, David Bell and Zander Horvath, got plays when needed to hold on for the win.
Horvath rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, marking the third straight game he has gone over the century mark.
O'Connell was 29-of-35 for 376 yards and two touchdowns, while Bell had nine receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown. In the win, Bell caught his 100th pass and had his fifth 100-yard outing for Purdue.
Defensively, DeMarcus Mitchell, a JUCO transfer, notched 11 tackles and a sack for a defense that forced three turnovers.
2. Ohio State is still the leader of the Big Ten
Ohio State showed it is still the team to beat in the Big Ten Saturday, going into Happy Valley and picking up a 38-25 win over Penn State.
The Buckeyes, who are ranked third in the country, improved to 2-0 with the win and for the second week in a row looked dominant in every aspect of the game.
Justin Fields completed 28 of 34 passes for 318 yards and four touchdowns. That means Fields now has scored six total touchdowns in 2020 while throwing only seven incomplete passes through two games.
The Ohio State offense finished with 526 yards, averaging 6.7 yards per play. On the other hand, the defense held Penn State to 325 yards and had five sacks and seven tackles for loss. In addition, Ohio State allowed Penn State to convert only four of its 10 conversion attempts on third and fourth down.
With a game set against Rutgers this week, Ohio State will look to continue its dominant play and Fields will continue to look to win over Heisman voters as Clemson's Trevor Lawrence remains sidelined with Covid-19.
3. Will the real Michigan team please stand up?
In the opener, Michigan looked every bit of a contender, hammering Minnesota as many thought this was Jim Harbaugh's best squad during his tenure.
However, there are plenty of questions surrounding the Wolverines after a disappointing 27-24 setback against Michigan State.
In the game, Michigan quarterback Joe Milton threw for 300 yards, but all of Michigan's touchdowns came on the ground, as the Wolverines rushed for 152 yards.
Defensively, Michigan allowed Michigan State quarterback Rocky Lombardi to throw for 323 yards and three touchdowns on 17-of-32 passing, while receiver Ricky White hauled in 8 catches for 196 yards.
What Michigan squad will Indiana get this week? That remains to be seen, but expect Harbaugh to have his team focused and ready to go at noon in Bloomington.
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