Around the Big Ten: Who stood out after Week 2 of the college football season

The second week of the college football season has wrapped up and the landscape of the Big Ten is beginning to shift.

Each week we’ll take a glance around the conference to see who stood out.

Let’s take a look at what happened in the second week of the season — one that saw several games closer than anticipated.

Player of the week

Michigan State WR Nick Marsh: This is as much about what Marsh did as it is when he did it. The Michigan State freshman lit up Maryland for eight catches for 194 yards and a touchdown, with the majority of that production coming at a crucial time. He caught a 77-yard touchdown to tie the game late in the fourth quarter on a play where he flew past the Maryland secondary and got behind it to give quarterback Aidan Chiles room to make the throw. Then, on the Spartans’ game-winning drive, he caught two passes for 17 yards and drew a pass interference call to account for 32 of the 65 yards they moved the ball. Marsh has the size, strength and speed to be a star and showed it against the Terps on Saturday.

Play of the week

Illinois WR Zakhari Franklin hauls in a one-handed grab: It’s one thing to pull in a pass with one hand, it’s another to do it while fending off a defender with your other while you’re trying to stay in bounds as you near the sideline. That’s what Franklin did against Kansas Saturday.

Top five

1. Ohio State: The Buckeyes did nothing to lose their spot and looked wildly impressive on both sides of the ball after winning 56-0 over Western Michigan. They have two of the best running backs in the country in Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, both of whom scored two touchdowns on Saturday. Their ability, along with quarterback Will Howard’s running ability, should create a high floor for the Buckeyes’ offense. The only question is about Howard’s passing ability. He has elite receiving options in Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith, and is in position to succeed at a high level. However, I still question if he’s going to be enough of an upgrade of last year’s starter, Kyle McCord, to make a major difference. That being said, the Ohio State defense may be elite enough to render that discussion moot by the end of the season.

2. USC: Without any background information heading into this season — and the knowledge that Ohio State’s talent is on another level — it would be the Trojans at the top of this list. They defeated LSU in week one and then destroyed an inferior opponent in Utah State, 48-0, this week. Last year’s team would have at least given up a score or two to the Aggies, but this iteration of USC seems like it has made major strides on defense. This looks more like a unit that can not just complement the offense, but also potentially carry it at times this season. That’s a recipe for a legitimate national title contender.

3. Penn State: The Nittany Lions get a slight edge over Oregon here, but the two teams have a very similar resume. Penn State dominated a solid West Virginia team before nearly losing to a Bowling Green team that it should have dispatched with ease. I am willing to attribute those defensive struggles in the 34-27 win over the Falcons to what many players said was the issue after the game — individuals trying to do too much in the first home game of the year. That being said, if the Nittany Lions’ game against Kent State in two weeks is anywhere close to a competitive game, than the alarm bells will be going off and this team will drop all the way out of the top five.

4. Oregon: The Ducks bounced back from a narrow win against a bad Idaho team to beat a quality Boise State team, giving them one good win and one too-close-for-comfort win — much like Penn State. The difference for the Ducks is that they very nearly lost to the Broncos, and still have issues that won’t necessarily be solved by refocusing. They need their defense to be significantly better than it was on Saturday in the 37-34 win and have a rivalry game against Oregon State looming this Saturday.

5. Nebraska: This is now the first spot out of the College Football Playoff, as I see it. With Michigan’s loss — one that isn’t surprising for a team I believe will lose four games this year — there is no longer a fifth team with enough equity in the national conversation to make the playoff with more than two losses. Right now, Nebraska leads this second group with one of the most talented quarterbacks in the conference in Dylan Raiola and a win over two of the best players in college football — Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. And yes, the Buffaloes are not good because of their play in the trenches, but they are still talented and taking care of business easily has value for the Huskers.

Next five: Michigan, Rutgers, Washington, Wisconsin, Indiana