Boilermakers Country

Overreactions from Week 1 in the Big Ten

Nick Saban swears on live television, Mike Gundy takes a shot at Michigan, "Huddy" for Heisman and Minnesota's fireworks show highlight the overreactions.
Dustin Schutte|
Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti looks up at the scoreboard after the second half
Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti looks up at the scoreboard after the second half | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Indiana HoosiersPurdue BoilermakersRutgers Scarlet KnightsNorthwestern WildcatsMaryland Terrapins

So close. So, so close.

In the first season with 18 teams in the conference, the Big Ten nearly posted a perfect Week 1 record. The league went 17-1 on the opening weekend of the college football season, with Minnesota's loss to North Carolina being the lone blemish.

Yes, you can bet the Gophers caught plenty of Fleck ... i mean flak ... for being the only Big Ten team to drop their opener. Don't worry, they're going to catch plenty more in this week's overreactions, too.

So, what were the biggest, brightest and best observations from Week 1 in the Big Ten? Don't worry, I've got you covered.

Watch your mouth, Coach Saban

Can someone please tell Nick Saban that he doesn't run the College GameDay "progrum," and isn't allowed to say whatever he wants? OK, maybe it's not the best idea to tell the greatest coach in college football history what to do, but he probably did receive a warning from the ESPN crew during Saturday's edition of the popular pregame show.

During a conversation about the money Ohio State allegedly spent on its roster for the 2024 season, Saban decided to chime in. Apparently, he hasn't heard of the FCC or its restrictions on foul language.

"I just want to say: You guys keep talking a $20 million roster," Saban said. "If you don't pay the right guys, you're s*** out of luck."

That's not quite on the same level as when Lee Corso dropped a F-bomb on the program years ago, but it was certainly a memorable moment.

Wonder if Miss Terry had a bar of soap waiting for Nick when he returned home?

Curt Seethe-netti

Curt Cignetti is a man who wears his emotions on his sleeve. We learned that pretty quickly in Indiana's season opener against FIU. Although the Hoosiers enjoyed a comfortable 31-7 victory over FIU, the new coach in Bloomington was less-than-thrilled with a holding call that occurred late in the game.

The reaction on Cignetti's face is the same reaction I have when the bartender tells me they've run out of my favorite beer. It's a face of pain, anger and disappointment.

Poppin' bottles!

If there's a full bottle of champagne sitting on Ryan Day's desk in Columbus this week, it's from Syracuse coach Fran Brown. He's awfully happy Ohio State cut ties with Kyle McCord.

The former Buckeye had a strong outing in his first game with the Orange, throwing for 354 yards and four touchdowns while completing 27-of-39 passes in a 38-22 win over Ohio.

After the game, Brown was asked about McCord's performance. He's considering sending Day a gift.

"Kyle's a good football player. You saw it," Brown said after the game. "I should send Ryan Day a bottle of champagne for allowing us to get him."

Someone please follow up with Day this week and see if he received that bottle.

Ruh-Row, Gophers

Minnesota was flooded with jokes after being sunk by North Carolina 19-17 in the season opener. The Gophers looked lost at sea offensvely. If you're wondering how many boat-related puns I can fit into a paragraph, the answer is: a lot.

P.J. Fleck's team was the lone Big Ten squad to lose in Week 1. The Gophers are — quite literally — the worst team in the history of the 18-team Big Ten Conference.

But that's not even the worst part! Someone in charge of the pyrotechnics at Huntington Bank Stadium set off fireworks after Minnesota missed a game-winning field goal attempt.

Salt meet wound.

Huddy 4 Heisman?

Is Hudson Card the greatest quarterback in the history of college football? People are asking that question after his season-opening performance. Well, maybe they're not asking, but perhaps they should!

Card completed 24-of-25 passes in Purdue's 49-0 victory over Indiana State on Saturday. His 96% completion rate tied an FBS record with Greyson Lambert (Georgia), who also completed 24-of-25 passes in a game against South Carolina in 2015.

Ryan Walters often refers to his starting quarterback as "Huddy," which is a stellar nickname. So, for one week, should we start the "Huddy 4 Heisman" campaign?

Jump Around, TB and DG!

The most fun broadcast team in college football this season? That award already goes to Tim Brando and Devin Gardner. I know it's early, but I'm prepared to anoint the tandem with the title based on this video from Camp Randall Stadium alone:

Bring this type of energy every week, college football broadcasters.

Oregon played like No. 2

If you tuned in to watch Oregon play Idaho over the weekend, you probably thought the Ducks looked like No. 2 — and I'm not talking about the second-best team in the country ... or even the Big Ten for that matter.

My apologies for the bathroom humor.

Oregon found itself in a nail-biter with Idaho to open the season, eventually pulling out a 24-14 victory. That's not exactly the start Dan Lanning wanted.

Maybe it's the wear and tear of sending The Duck to the other 17 Big Ten campuses before the stat of the football season.

Mike Gundy fears no (Michigan) man

By now, you've probably learned that Mike Gundy just says whatever the hell he wants. That was the case after Saturday's game when he was asked about the helmet communication system.

Gundy was not one of the coaches utilizing the new in-helmet communication on his staff this weekend. And when asked about the situation, he decided to take a shot at Michigan and Connor Stalions.

"They won't let me hear it," Gundy said of the helmet communications. "If anybody's a good IT guy. We can get the guy from Michigan down here and have him hook me up. Even though he didn't do it."

Yes, it's a new college football season, but the Michigan jokes are still pouring in, even outside the Big Ten.

Winner of Big Ten's best name goes to ...

College football is home to a lot of great names, but we may have an early winner. Oregon kicker Atticus Sappington should win some sort of award for that.

Anyone opposed? No? Good.

Matt Rhule talks himself out of breath

Sometimes, there are no words to define a situation. I think that's what happened when Matt Rhule attempted to describe one scenario involving quarterback Dylan Raiola.

Rhule basically explained how he wasn't getting overly excited and emotional when talking to his freshman QB before a big moment in the game. But when he tried to find the words he just kind of ... ran out of steam.

Angry Brian Kelly returns

USC had the biggest win in the Big Ten this weekend, but we all should give a major shoutout to Lincoln Riley. Why? He brought out "Angry Brian Kelly" after just one game! College football is truly back.

After Sunday's game, Kelly was clearly frustrated with the team's inability to close the deal. In the postgame presser, he blamed himself and the coaching staff. He also decided to pound his fist into the table. Literally.

Kelly has been an excellent football coach for many years. He's probably a few years away from retirement. When he does step away, though, can you imagine how many of these moments we'll get to relive?

Related Big Ten stories

BIG TEN WEEK 2 POWER RANKINGS: USC picked up the biggest win of the weekend, defeating LSU. Penn State clobbered West Virginia. What do the power rankings looks like after Week 1? CLICK HERE

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Dustin Schutte
DUSTIN SCHUTTE

Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.

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