What we learned from Week 1 of college football in the Big Ten

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Week 1 of the 2026 college football season is in the books! Every FBS team has now played at least one game on the year.

So what did we learn in Week 1 with regard to the Big Ten? Here are a few takeaways from the conference’s opening weekend of action:

It will be a long season in Ann Arbor

Michigan may have beaten Western Michigan on Saturday evening—albeit with plenty of controversy. But the Wolverines did absolutely nothing to inspire confidence that they will be at all competitive in the Big Ten this year. It is unfortunate that USC does not face Michigan this season, as this would be a great year to do so.

Kick Rutgers out of the conference

I am not even exaggerating here. There are embarrassing losses, and then there is getting blown out at home by a UMass team that went 0-12 last season and had not beaten an FBS opponent since 2023. The good news is that USC’s conference opener in Piscataway in two weeks will essentially be a fourth preseason game for the Trojans.

Should Oregon fans be concerned?

Another team that did not look all that impressive over the weekend was Oregon, who had to come from behind to beat Boise State. Unlike with Michigan and Rutgers, however, it is not necessarily time to panic up in Eugene just yet. The Broncos are one of the top non-power conference programs in the country, and the Ducks have been known to struggle in season openers under Dan Lanning. Still, Oregon fans are hoping to see better from their team going forward.

Does Washington have offensive issues?

Washington defeated rival Washington State on Sunday, but did not look all that impressive on offense, managing just ten points through the first 50 minutes of the game before finally pulling away late. The Huskies will need to be better offensively if they want to have any shot at contending in the Big Ten.

UCLA will be at least competent

Is UCLA going to be a playoff contender? Probably not. But in their 45-24 win over Cal Saturday night, the Bruins at least looked like a competent football team. That is something that was simply not the case in Westwood the past two years.

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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: What we learned from Week 1 of college football in the Big Ten

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