The Whistlestop Tour: Week 2 of Big Ten Football

The Whistlestop Tour: Week 2 of Big Ten Football

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The Whistlestop Tour: Week 2 of Big Ten Football
AUSTIN, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 12: An Ohio State Buckeyes fan poses prior to a game between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 12, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images

That one is going to sting for a bit.

Purdue had an excellent chance to get the win over Wake Forest, but came up one play (and really, a few inches when all is said and done) from getting a win. It was a dead even game with Wake Forest as neither team was able to get the key stops they needed, but the Demon Deacons won mostly because:

  1. Purdue missed a field goal.
  2. The Boilers got a little too complacent and conservative on the final few plays of each half and should have gone for the TD each time.
  3. Purdue gave up a 4th and 14 with the game on the line.

It’s hard to say where I am on this one. I was impressed that Purdue fought back and really outplayed Wake for much of the second half. It is undoubtedly a step forward after the last two seasons.

On the other hand, a loss is still a loss. Getting this one could have provided some badly needed positive momentum. Instead, it was the 22nd consecutive loss against a power conference team, with two tough games coming up the next two weeks. If Purdue wins at UCLA or pulls off a miracle against Notre Dame it erases this one, but it still hurts. We had this one and let it slip away.

Even then, Purdue was far from the most disappointing team in the conference this week. Ohio State and Indiana are still the cream of the conference (even with the Buckeyes losing). Michigan won a very ugly game Oklahoma. For the second straight week the longest losing streak in the country came to an end thanks to a Big Ten team. That provides a shakeup in the Power Rankings as we go through the Whistlestop Tour this week:

  1. Indiana (Last Week: 2) – 2-0, Beat Howard 55-0 – As expected, the defending champs were not challenged at all by Howard. Next up they get a Western Kentucky team that got destroyed by Georgia.
  2. Ohio State (Last week: 1) – 1-1, Lost to Texas 24-23 – Great first half for the Bucks, terrible fourth quarter. Even against the likes of Texas seeing Ohio State collapse is stunning.
  3. USC (Last Week: 6) – 3-0, Beat Louisiana 49-30 – USC has been excellent in their non-conference games, not even really breaking a sweat in all three. They look like a contender.
  4. Penn State (Last Week: 5) – 2-0, Beat Temple 27-9 – So far Penn State has given up just nine points, and the lone touchdown hey have surrendered came very late against Temple.
  5. Michigan (Last Week: 18) – 2-0 (allegedly), Beat Oklahoma 17-10 – The Wolverines didn’t need an extra second this week. After “winning” 13-12 and 17-10 they are now Iowa: All defense, little offense.
  6. Iowa (Last Week: 4) – 2-0, Beat Iowa State 16-13 – Gritted out an early season rivalry win in ¡EL ASSICO!. I missed this game by one point in my picks because 16-13 is the most ¡EL ASSICO! score ever.
  7. UCLA (Last Week: 9) – 2-0, Beat San Diego State 28-10 – Purdue’s next opponent was in a scoreless tie at the half, but broke open a dull game with a 21-10 4th quarter edge. Purdue needs to keep the offensive momentum it has going in the Rose Bowl.
  8. Nebraska (Last week: 8) – 2-0, Beat Bowling Green 56-7 – The Huskers now lead the MAC at 2-0 with wins over Bowling Green and Ohio.
  9. Michigan State (Last Week: 15) – 2-0, Beat Eastern Michigan 35-7 – Sparty had a little easier time this week and they join Nebraska atop the MAC at 2-0.
  10. Maryland (Last Week: 13) – 2-0, Beat UConn 38-14 – The Terps pick up a non-conference road win, and over a UConn team that was pretty good last year. We’ll see what happens to them once it is not September.
  11. Northwestern (Last Week: 7) – 1-0, ON BYE – Northwestern was off this week, but their week 1 win over FCS powerhouse South Dakota State does look decent.
  12. Washington (Last Week: 11) – 2-0, Beat Utah State 16-14 – That’s two weeks in a row where Washington was a big favorite, only to struggle. Can Purdue think upset in a few weeks?
  13. Oregon (Last Week: 3) – 1-1, Lost to Oklahoma State 39-31 – Goodness. They were a near 25 point road favorite against an Oklahoma State team that lost by two touchdowns to lowly Tulsa last week. This was a major shock.
  14. Illinois (Last Week: 12) – 1-1, Lost to Duke 31-27 – This was the last of the three to finish, but the ACC swept the Big Ten in their three matchups this week, though all came down to the wire.
  15. Purdue (Last Week: 16) – 1-1, Lost to Wake Forest 38-36 2 OT – Are we going to regret that 4th and 14 later? Purdue showed it can be competitive, which is good, but this could be the difference between a bowl game and no bowl game. Still, I liked the fight they showed.
  16. Wisconsin (Last week: 14) – 1-1, Beat Western Illinois 36-9 – This is pretty much like Purdue beating Indiana State last week. You can’t take a lot from it.
  17. Minnesota (Last Week: 10) – 1-1, Lost to Mississippi State 38-13 – Looks like they should have saved some points from the 59 they scored against Illinois. Mississippi State embarrassed them in Minneapolis.
  18. Rutgers (Last Week: 18) – 0-2, Lost to Boston College 28-21 – It was an emotional night in Chestnut Hill, but BC never trailed even if they didn’t pull away. Rutgers might be real bad.

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