Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Five lessons from the week that was in the Big Ten.

1. An embattled league needs a lift in Week 2 -- The Big Ten saw shaky performances from two of its three ranked teams (Ohio State and Iowa), and the only squad that faced an upper-tier BCS foe (Illinois) lost in embarrassing fashion. For a league that needs big nonconference wins to repair its national reputation, this was a rather shaky start. Some big opportunities arrive next week as both USC and Notre Dame visit Big Ten stadiums.

2. Michigan on the way back -- Rich Rodriguez's team still has some obvious flaws to iron out, but Michigan made a strong opening statement after a week of turmoil around the program. The offense looked completely different in the hands of quarterbacks (Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson) recruited to run the system, and the pressuring defense held Western Michigan's offense in check.

3. New quarterbacks step up -- Improved quarterback play is the first step toward a better Big Ten, and several signal callers stepping into starting roles looked good Saturday. Forcier showed tremendous maturity for Michigan, while Northwestern's Mike Kafka (15 of 20, 195 yards) and Wisconsin's Scott Tolzien (15 of 20, 257 yards) were efficient in victories. Michigan State's tandem of Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol combined for five touchdown passes against Montana State, and Purdue's Joey Elliott had three scoring strikes.

4. Illinois could be in big trouble -- Fighting Illini players and coaches were in utter disbelief after a miserable effort against Missouri. Illinois has way too much talent on offense, with or without Arrelious Benn, to struggle as badly as it did in the Edward Jones Dome. I'm not ready to call Illinois dysfunctional, but clearly there's something wrong with this program right now. Illinois better get it fixed in a hurry as it opens Big Ten play against Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State.

5. Buckeyes need a major boost -- Penn State might be the Big Ten's best team, but the league's reputation rests heavily with Ohio State. The Buckeyes struggled to separate from a tricky Navy squad on Saturday, and players admitted they might have relaxed early in the fourth quarter. Ohio State's defensive breakdowns are a major concern with USC looming, and the Buckeyes need to polish up things in every area to win the most important game in recent Big Ten history next week at The Shoe.