Midseason Grades - Big Ten Edition

Here are grades for the Big Ten Conference teams at the midway point of the NCAA football season:

East Division

Ohio State (7-0 overall, 4-0 Big Ten)

Summary: Ohio State has yet to lose after a controversy-laden offseason, even if the team on the field hasn't exactly been perfect. But that's par for the course, as Urban Meyer's OSU sides have traditionally found ways to win close games early in the season before pulling out key wins on the biggest stages.

What’s clear this season is that when the Buckeyes are humming, they’re the only team in the country that can keep it close against Alabama, let alone think about defeating the defending national champion.

Key figure: Head coach Urban Meyer. Meyer must resist the urge to fall back into his old habit of slamming his quarterback into the line of scrimmage in short-yardage situations. He’s resisted so far, in part because that’s not Dwyane Haskins’ game. But Meyer has also shown trust in co-offensive coordinators Ryan Day and Kevin Wilson to carry out their game plan.

That needs to continue. Day and Wilson have fashioned a hybrid offense that pairs Day’s spread-to-run concepts with Wilson’s downfield passing game. When it’s working, it’s irresistible. The team has converted a stunning 48 percent of third downs. Keep it up, and Ohio State just might give Bama a game.

Grade: A

Michigan (6-1, 4-0)

Summary: Let’s list some of Michigan’s defensive numbers, because, well, they’re bonkers:

• Opponents' yards per play: 3.8, first in the country.

• Opponents' yards per rush attempt: 3.1, 12th in the country.

• Sack percentage: 10.2 percent, ninth in the country.

• Opponents' yards per pass attempt: 5.1, third in the country.

• Top 10 in defensive efficiency.

• First overall at limiting explosive runs.

Even by Don Brown’s standards, those stats are absurd. Michigan’s defense is easily the best in the country and does everything at the highest level.

Meanwhile, Jim Harbaugh's offense is all sorts of fun. He’s found a way to blend his old-school, pound-the-rock, gap-scheme run principles with quarterback Shea Patterson’s pace-and-space, freelancing brilliance. It’s gorgeous.

And no offense in the country is better at staying on schedule, as the Wolverines sport the lowest average third-down distance in football. Play-calling is fun when you live in third-and-short situations.

Michigan’s path to the playoff is clear - win out and you’re in. The team will travel to Sparty next week, host Penn State in a fortnight, and then close out the season with The Game.

Key figure: LB Devin Bush. The versatile Bush allows Brown to call all of his exotic blitz looks. He's undersized as a traditional middle linebacker, but he’s perfect for Brown’s system, which lets him roam around with a million different assignments and alignments. Bush’s combination of speed and intellect also allows Brown to run a high percentage of man and combo coverages. Without the junior linebacker, the Wolverines wouldn’t just be less effective - their defense would look completely different.

Grade: A

Maryland (4-2, 2-1)

Summary: Following the Jordan McNair travesty, interim head coach Matt Canada had to galvanize a locker room beset by grief while cobbling together a functioning staff in time for the season.

Within that context, the notoriously difficult Canada - who's auditioning for a full-time job - has done a pretty great job in a challenging situation while staying on his best behavior. The Terrapins upset a quality Texas team in Week 1, blew out two terrible opponents (Rutgers and Bowling Green), and hung a 42-13 win on Minnesota.

Losses to Michigan and Temple stung, but given all that’s bubbling around the program, it’s the least of Maryland's concerns.

Key figure: Athletic director Damon Evans. Evans hasn't yet announced an official decision on head coach DJ Durkin, who was placed on administrative leave following McNair's death (spoiler: he’s not coming back). But where Evans, who became the permanent AD earlier this year, goes from there is anyone’s guess. Maryland brought in Evans to help make the school a serious football player, but is that still the case? And is there an assistant out there whom Evans - whose roots run deep in SEC country - values more than Canada? It will be interesting to get some answers.

Grade: B

Michigan State (4-2, 2-1)

Summary: No matter how horrid MSU had looked to begin the season, you knew the team would grab a big scalp at some point. And like clockwork, Mark Dantonio’s defense showed up in a win over Penn State. The offense did too ... sort of.

Overall, the offense is still a constant struggle this season, relying on a ground game that’s averaging just 3.4 yards per attempt, 113th in the country. The unit lives in third-and-forever.

Key figure: QB Brian Lewerke. To overcome the issues with the running game, Dantonio must let Lewerke be Lewerke. The big-armed, athletic quarterback is prone to boneheaded mistakes, but he can also make rare throws from any arm angle and throwing platform against any coverage. By following the defense-and-Lewerke model, the Spartans could grab another upset before this thing is said and done.

Grade: C

Penn State (4-2, 1-2)

Summary: Things would certainly be different if Penn State had converted that fourth-down attempt against the Buckeyes. James Franklin has said the toughest gap to bridge in college football is going from the really, really good to the elite.

He’s right. Elite teams convert fourth-and-short situations at home against the toughest opponents. Elite teams find a way to snatch a win in sloppy games. Against Ohio State, the Nittany Lions showed they haven't quite reached that level.

But they're close, and while this season will go down as a disappointment, Franklin has a rare team that can literally point to a pair of plays as making or (in this case) breaking the campaign.

Key figure: Offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne.

It’s never easy being the guy who follows The Guy. Every mistake you make is second-guessed, and that's how it is for Rahne, who replaced Joe Moorhead's unique offensive mind this season. Rahne took ownership of the failed fourth-down play against the Buckeyes and his play-calling against Michigan State wasn’t good enough, either. Penn State often lollygagged through possessions, and there was a drastic lack of sequencing, as opposed to using one play to set up the next.

Still, while Rahne needs to iron out some kinks, he's done a pretty good job overall. Through six games, Penn State is 12th in yards per play, up from 16th a year ago. It's just those critical fourth-quarter plays that remain a concern.

Grade: B

Indiana (4-3, 1-3)

Summary: It’s been a solid season for the Hoosiers. They’ve handled inferior opponents (FIU, Ball State, and Rutgers), earned a quality win over Virginia, and put forth decent efforts against Michigan State, Ohio State, and Iowa.

The team’s two big issues are turnovers on offense and a lack of forcing negative plays on defense. That’s a cocktail for a poor season. Specifically, Indiana doesn't hit opposing quarterbacks often enough or turn them over, ranking just 84th in adjusted sack rate.

Purdue, Minnesota, and Maryland remain on the upcoming schedule. Tom Allen has a real shot to go bowling in his second year as the team’s head coach.

Key figure: S/LB Marcelino Ball. Ball is the "Husky" defender in Allen’s multiple 4-2-5 defense - a hybrid safety/linebacker who sets to the wide part of the field rather than to the strength of the offensive formation. Ball spends some time lined up in the slot, shuffled into the middle of the field, and closer to the line of scrimmage. He's essentially a space defender, the way a shifty offensive weapon - think Tyreek Hill or Tavon Austin - is used in multiple alignments to attack space. Ball has the athleticism, savvy, and moxie that Allen demands. He’s a smart, disruptive player, and a quality blitzer, leading the team in tackles for loss.

Grade: C+

Rutgers (1-6, 0-4)

Summary: Where do you begin? Even by Rutgers standards, 2018 has been unspeakably bad. Check out these stats:

• Averaging 4.1 yards per play, 127th in the country, the very worst mark among the Power 5.

• Averaging 9.1 yards per completion, 128th in the country.

• Converting 32 percent of third downs.

• Conceding 6.3 yards per play, 104th in the nation.

• Scored over 20 points only once this season, at home against Texas State.

• Gave up 55 points to Kansas. Kansas!

• The passing line from Week 7 against Maryland doesn't seem possible: 2 for 17, 8 yards, zero touchdowns, five interceptions.

How about that New York TV market, though?

Key figure: Athletic director Patrick Hobbs. We're into Year 3 of the Chris Ash project at Rutgers, and things are going ... not well. The team currently ranks 118th out of 130 teams in S&P+, which would be its worst-ever ranking if it holds for the rest of the season. And the first half was supposed to be the easy part of the Scarlet Knights' schedule!

The least efficient offense in the country still has to face Northwestern, Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State, and Michigan State. Things could get even worse. Hobbs’ decision looks pretty easy when it comes to Ash, but who will he bring in next?

Grade: F

West Division

Northwestern (3-3, 3-1)

Summary: Pat Fitzgerald has marshaled the Wildcats to a pair of super impressive wins - at home to Purdue, and on the road at Michigan State. And Northwestern is now atop the West Division after a comeback victory over Nebraska in overtime.

However, the upcoming schedule is brutal. Northwestern will host Wisconsin and Notre Dame before heading to Iowa and Minnesota. Playing Illinois in the last week of the season won't be easy, either.

But Fitzgerald has done a good job. True, Purdue and Nebraska were one-score games. The Wildcats, however, handled Michigan State fairly comfortably, and gave Michigan all it could handle in a 20-17 loss.

Key figure: DL Joe Gaziano. The Wildcats have done a poor job of creating negative plays on defense this season, as they have just 33 tackles for loss and rank 103rd in sack percentage. Gaziano is the team’s top defensive lineman. He flexes across the defensive front, playing outside on early downs before kicking inside for obvious passing situations. Still, Gaziano has been solid but unspectacular this season, and Northwestern needs him to find another level against tough opponents down the stretch.

Grade: B

Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1)

Summary: You couldn’t really ask for a more Wisconsin-type season.

The loss to BYU still stings, as that was never part of the plan. But the Badgers, as expected, have crushed the rest of West.

Losing on the road to Michigan was expected, particularly given the injuries that have struck the Badgers' defensive backfield. True freshman Reggie Pearson even made his collegiate debut as a starter in the Big House.

But despite that loss, Wisconsin is right on track to run through the West before getting smashed by Ohio State in the Big Ten title game.

Key figure: RB Jonathan Taylor. Taylor’s impact is almost completely reliant on his offensive line and whether opposing defenses choose to respect quarterback Alex Hornibrook (they don't, for the most part). But I refuse to give this spot to anyone else on the team. Taylor is the most aesthetically pleasing runner in football. No one creates space quite like him, so enjoy the show while you can, as he’ll be running on Sundays soon enough.

Grade: B-

Iowa (5-1, 2-1)

Summary: Iowa is lurking. Sitting nicely under the radar, the Hawkeyes own by far the best point differential in the West Division, and they're the only Big Ten team that hasn't given up at least 100 points this season. Those aren’t merely counting stats, either, as the defense has conceded a paltry 4.4 yards per play, tied for eighth in the country and ranking second only to Michigan in the Big Ten.

Offensively, Iowa's found a nice balance of efficiency and explosiveness. Quarterback Nate Stanley is orchestrating everything at the line of scrimmage, running a blend of old-school pro-style principles and modern spread concepts.

Key figure: TE Noah Fant. Fant might just be the most dynamic playmaker in the country. He bears a striking resemblance to former Miami tight end Jimmy Graham, from the length and hops to the arm sleeve. Iowa does a nice job of isolating Fant and letting him go to work. Nobody can handle him one on one.

The Hawkeyes have a shot to run the table the rest of the way. A trip to Happy Valley is the toughest game left on the schedule.

Grade: B+

Purdue (3-3, 2-1)

Summary: It's been a wacky season thus far. Purdue opened up with three straight losses at home, all by a single score, to Northwestern, Eastern Michigan, and Missouri. How different things could be ...

But we live in a results-based business. The shine had certainly come off Jeff Brohm following the loss to Mizzou.

It’s back! Purdue subsequently ran roughshod over Boston College, Nebraska, and Illinois. Brohm's offense is now averaging 6.8 yards per play for the season, matching Ohio State and Penn State to rank 10th in the country.

Key figure: Defensive coordinator Nick Holt. Holt's one of the most underrated coordinators in college football. He drastically turned around the Boilermakers' porous unit a year ago, improving the run defense and slicing an average of 20 (!) points per game off opponents' totals. He’s doing another exemplary job this year without much talent, as only Mizzou dropped more than 30 points on Holt’s bend-but-don’t-break style. Holt followed Brohm from Western Kentucky to Purdue, but the head coach will have a hard time keeping his coordinator around when big-time offers start coming in.

Grade: C+

Illinois (3-3, 1-2)

Summary: How about the Fighting Illini? Lovie Smith certainly deserves credit, as the program is no longer in shambles. Smith's team is getting by thanks to an excellent ground game and opportunistic defense. Running backs Reggie Corbin and Mike Epstein are both averaging more than 6.5 yards per carry, while the defense is forcing an average of two takeaways per game.

Some coaches take a while to establish the identity of their program. Not Smith. This is exactly the kind of squad he imagined when he left the NFL for college.

Key figures: QBs AJ Bush and M.J. Rivers II. Both are better runners than passers, and Smith needs whoever's under center to play better. Bush was the starter to begin the season, but injured his hamstring against Western Illinois. Rivers then played OK in relief duty, showing more of a willingness to launch the ball downfield. Despite that, Bush regained the starting job when he returned to full health, but struggled in back-to-back weeks against Rutgers and Purdue. Which player should lead the team moving forward is an open question.

Grade: B

Minnesota (3-3, 0-3)

Summary: A close game against Ohio State on Saturday didn't mask the Gophers' disappointing start to the season. Head coach P.J. Fleck was certainly anticipating being a bigger threat in conference play this season, but his team appears to be a good distance away from the Big Ten's middle class. The Golden Gophers were already beaten easily by both Maryland and Iowa - two schools Fleck would have circled prior to the campaign as potential wins.

A stilted offense has been the main culprit. Quarterback Zack Annexstad has completed just below 52 percent of his passes, and you can’t win in modern football while throwing at that clip.

Key figure: WR Tyler Johnson. Johnson has bailed Annexstad out of some dreadful decisions this year, and he’s helped inflate the team’s overall offensive numbers by creating some magic after the catch. Johnson's averaging 14.5 yards per reception with six touchdowns this season and is firmly on the radar of NFL scouts. A combination of explosiveness, length, and route running subtlety makes him a nightmare for defenders to match up with in man coverage. Fleck was a receivers coach in the NFL prior to his college gigs, and it shows in Johnson's development.

Grade: C

Nebraska (0-6, 0-3)

Summary: Scott Frost’s fairy tale has turned into a nightmare. Frost was billed as the savior when he rode into Nebraska from UCF, but instead the Cornhuskers are off to their worst-ever start.

Still, there's no need to panic. Schematically and philosophically, Frost’s style is diametrically opposed to former coach Mike Riley. It will take time for Frost to turn over the roster and get guys who can execute his intricate system.

Seasons like this are tough for any coach and fan base. But they’re necessary. The coach tinkers with his system, establishes his principles, and evaluates his roster - warts and all.

Frost certainly hit a giant reset button in Lincoln. The results thus far have been awful, but I’m still backing him to succeed in the long term.

Key figure: QB Adrian Martinez. The biggest question facing Frost the rest of the way is whether he's found his quarterback. Martinez arrived in Lincoln with a bunch of hype, but he's been mostly awful in live action, chucking six touchdowns to five interceptions. And while he's known as a runner, his impact on the ground has been fairly minimal. Still, as a true freshman who's surrounded by a dearth of talent, it’s tough to evaluate him properly. Martinez has an interesting skill set, and perhaps he can put it all together.

Grade: F