Only six games took place this week in the Big Ten, yet there were a lot of important developments to take note of. Teams are officially separating themselves from the pack, for better or worse. Northwestern and UCLA sit at the bottom. The USC Trojans have their own category as the team that just is not ready to compete in the Big Ten.
Here are my five biggest takeaways from Week 5 in the Big Ten:
Bret Bielema knows how to win
It did not matter that Illinios lost by 53 points last week. This is a team that knows how to respond and Bret Bielema knows how to win football games. The Fighting Illini were the better team in every facet of this game. This offensive line completely stalled the best pass rush college football. The Fighting Illini ran at the Trojans all do for a reason. The Trojans showed all season so far, that they can be bullied and this secondary while banged up is extremely getable. Quarterback Luke Altmayer had his best game of the season. Having a loss like that would deral just about every college football program. Not the Fighting Illini led by Bret Bielema. I would not count this team out as a sleeper to make the College Football Playoff.
USC is not ready to win the big games just yet
While they are one of Lincoln Riley’s most talented squads, the Trojans proved in their loss saturday against Illinois that they still aren’t a contender just yet. While that is a tough pill to swallow for USC fans four years into the Riley era, this is a team that can be a force next year with the 2026 recruiting class mixed in. As for right now the Trojans will not be able to beat Notre Dame nor Oregon with how poor their run defense was Saturday.
Oregon is up there with Ohio State
Ohio State has made their quality opponents look like they don’t belong on the field with them. College football is destined to get an Oregon versus Ohio State matchup at some point in the near future. Who’s to say it won’t be the Big Ten or national championship game. Or even both. Oregon is the one team in college football that can look Ohio State in the eyes and beat them. Something they did last season already. This year’s Ducks team is better and they have a better quarterback than last year’s squad. Until then Ohio State might not get tested until Penn State in November.
Dante Moore Jr. is the best quarterback in the country
The quarterback prospects for this upcoming draft class have been disappointing. Every one of them except for newcomer Dante Moore Jr. Dante Moore Jr. was elite in his tenth career start, in one of the most hostile environments in college football. Moore went 29-39, for 234 yards passing, and 3 passing touchdowns. He did not blink against Penn State. The quarterback we saw tear it up against lesser opponents, we saw that same guy against the number three team in the country. As of right now Dante Moore Jr. should be the favorite to win the Heisman.
Drew Allar is not a top quarterback prospect
Penn State got exposed in their game against Oregon. Drew Allar, with all eyes on him to perform, came up short. Dante Moore Jr. clearly was the better quarterback by a wide margin. Drew Allar has a top defense, adequate weapons to throw the ball to, and an elite running game. Yet Allar still comes up short. James Franklin gets a lot of blame for Penn State, but Drew Allar should be having more success at Penn State. If you plug in a lot of the top quarterbacks in the country on this Penn State team, this team would be more successful then they have been with Allar behind center.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Micah’s five takeaways from Week 5 in Big Ten football
Reporting by Micah Huff, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
