Midway through the season, some Big Ten teams have been catapulted into the national title chase while others have already disappointed their now grief-stricken fan bases. That said, here are the midseason grades for the Big 10 teams:
The Hoosiers are perennial conference basement-dwellers, so an almost-even record is impressive. Indiana has lost to every good team it has played with the exception of UW.
Indiana's new look starts with senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan. It is important for the passing game to gain consistency, as the IU defense routinely gives up several touchdowns each game.
Illinois looks to be the new whipping boy of the Big Ten. It has no quality wins but has kept games very close.
The best player on the roster, junior wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, has not been able to mimic his dominating play from last season without Kurt Kittner, who is now with the Atlanta Falcons. Junior quarterback Jon Beutjer has been an adequate replacement, but the step down in production is noticeable from last season.
New senior quarterback Brad Banks, as well as junior running back Fred Russell, have made Hawkeye faithfuls forget the stars of last season. Junior kicker Nate Kaeding, furthermore, hits field goals weekly and helps with field position battles on kickoffs, aiding a lackluster defense.
Iowa has amassed an amazing record but has only played two ranked teams in that span. Its lack of quality wins is the only check mark against it.
Junior quarterback John Navarre and junior running back Chris Perry do not remind anyone of Tom Brady and Anthony Thomas, but they are getting the job done. Aided by dangerous receivers and a consistent defense, they have Michigan football once again looking for a conference championship.
The Achilles heel of Michigan, however, can be found in their kicking unit, which has put several games in jeopardy. On field goals, Michigan's kickers have combined to hit five of 14.
The Spartans have become the quintessential underachievers of the Big Ten.
Junior wide receiver Charles Rogers has proved he is a legitimate all-American candidate, but senior quarterback Jeff Smoker has not been as good as anticipated and the Spartan ground-attack has not found T.J. Duckett-like production. The defense, though returning the majority of its starters, has also been unable to make anything happen.
The most depressing thing about Michigan State is that the best team they've beaten is Northwestern.
Though the record would indicate an elite Gopher team, Minnesota's schedule has been laughable. All of its wins have come against bad Division I squads.
The most consistent aspect of UM's game has been their ability to put up large numbers, forcing the nation to take notice of junior quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq. The defense remains a question mark until it stops an accomplished opponent.
The Wildcats lost most of their talent from a bad 2001 team, so the record is not a surprise. Northwestern has played four ranked opponents and came close to beating two of them.
The Wildcats have almost nothing going for them. Nevertheless, wins over Duke and Navy will take them nowhere in the polls.
Ohio State has amassed an undefeated record in an impressive way against stiff competition.
\If we don't win every game [being undefeated is] a nonissue,"" Head Coach Jim Tressel said. ""With that in mind, we've got to focus on winning every game.""
Wins over Washington State and Texas Tech, among others, have proved the Buckeyes to be legitimate national title contenders. Freshman tailback Maurice Clarett is becoming the first freshman since Michael Vick in 1999 to contend for the Heisman Trophy. On the other side of the ball, the defense only gives up an average of 16 points per game.
Penn State, carrying over the success it had toward the end of last season, has set its sights on the Big Ten championship.
""We are playing good football,"" Paterno said. ""We have played good football since we were 0-4 last year and we did not play bad football when we were 0-4.""
Sophomore quarterback Zach Mills, with a potent running back and dangerous wide receiver duo, has helped Penn State return to glory. Though University Park may no longer be ""Linebacker U.,"" the defense, led by all-American defensive tackle hopeful Jimmy Kennedy, has held its own this year.
Though offensive-minded Joe Tiller is still head coach, the Boilers are a shell of their former selves. The only noteworthy accomplishment for Purdue this year has been handing Minnesota their only loss.
The bright spot of Purdue's team is junior wide receiver John Standeford, who has been consistently making plays despite the uninspiring performance of sophomore quarterback Kyle Orton.
Though looking very solid at times, Wisconsin has been severely lacking in consistency.
In the absence of senior wide receiver Lee Evans, sophomore Anthony Davis continues to show he is a big-time running back. Quarterback, offensive line and secondary play have often been suspect, however.
The Badgers are certainly still in the running for a bowl, but an 0-3 start in the conference all but rules out the possibility of a Big Ten Championship.
