After six weeks of high-flying, hard-hitting football action the sports staff at The Daily Cardinal decided to sit down and analyze the first half of the Big Ten college football season. We've seen some blow outs, some upsets and some crazy finishes. So without further ado, here's the Cardinal's review on the race for the Big Ten title.
The Frontrunners
Ohio State - Replacing standout wide receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez, as well as Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Troy Smith seemed like a daunting task, but the Buckeyes have dominated the competition during their 6-0 start.
Led by junior linebacker James Laurinaitis, the OSU defense has held its opponent under 10 points in five of their six games.
On offense, junior quarterback Todd Boeckman lacks the flash and big play ability possessed by Smith, but has tossed 14 touchdown passes. The combination of sophomore running back Chris Wells and junior rusher Maurice Wells leads a formidable ground attack while junior wideout Brian Robiskie has caught six touchdowns and provides a solid deep-passing threat.
The No. 3 Buckeyes are the clear favorite to win the conference, but key matchups with Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan lie ahead.
Illinois - As Badger fans saw last weekend, Illinois is back. Sophomore quarterback Isiah Juice"" Williams leads a potent Illini offense with 618 passing yards and another 278 yards on the ground. However, the staple of this offense is junior running back Rashard Mendenhall.
Mendenhall is currently fifth in the country with 772 rushing yards, and has had three multi-touchdown games already this season.
The Illini defense is led by senior linebacker Jeremy Leman, who is leading the Big Ten in tackles once again with 71 total stops. If Illinois can continue to run the ball effectively through the spread offense, and its defense can continue dominate the offensive line, then the Fighting Illini have a good chance of running away with the Big Ten Title.
Michigan - After an 0-2 start, which included a loss to Appalachian State, the Wolverines have gotten back on track and have pulled off four straight victories. Senior tailback Mike Hart is literally the heart of the Michigan football program, and is currently first in the nation with 976 rushing yards. Last weekend against Eastern Michigan, Hart racked up 215 yards on only 22 carries. Michigan also has a solid passing game, led by senior quarterback Chad Henne, along with junior wide receiver Mario Manningham and senior wideout Adrian Arrington. If Michigan can figure out their defense and find a way to continue to get Hart the ball, they could easily end up as one of, if not the, top Big Ten team.
Off like the wind (The Overachievers)
Indiana - The Hoosiers have been a Big Ten pushover for many years, but have shown promise as of late. That promise has come through in 2007, as Indiana is 2-1 in the Big Ten standings.
Led by sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis, the Hoosiers have a formidable offensive attack. Lewis has thrown for over 1,400 yards this season, along with another 447 on the ground, which has already eclipsed his total from last season.
Lewis cannot do it alone however. Enter James Hardy, the 6'7', 220 pounds junior wide receiver. Hardy has great hands and uses his huge frame to his advantage. He already has 485 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
With Lewis and Hardy, Indiana has a perfect one-two punch that could put them in a position to make a push for the Big Ten crown.
Purdue - Although Ohio State squelched the Boilermakers Saturday night, Purdue still leads the conference in total offense and passing offense. Junior quarterback Curtis Painter has already thrown for 1,810 yards and 19 touchdowns. Receiver Dorien Bryant stands second in the Big Ten with 42 receptions.
Only the Buckeyes held Purdue below 30 points.
Defensively, the Boilermakers are not as strong, surrendering nearly 384 yards per contest.
Purdue travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., this weekend. If they can pull off the upset, the Boilermakers will be in the hunt for a title. Road games at Penn State and Indiana will determine if the
Boilermakers play in a New Year's Day bowl game.
Stumbling and bumbling (The Underachievers)
Wisconsin - The Badgers' 14-game winning streak may have come to an end Saturday at Illinois, but UW has not played its usual stingy defense all season long.
Wisconsin ranks eighth in the conference in scoring defense and total defense and ninth in the conference in rushing defense, giving up 153 yards per game on the ground.
Despite the struggles, the Badgers remain in the hunt for a Big Ten championship. Losing senior wide receiver Luke Swan for the season hurts UW's chances, but senior quarterback Tyler Donovan has found a solid go-to receiver in junior tight end Travis Beckum.
This weekend's contest at Penn State and back-to-back games versus Michigan and Ohio State will decide if Wisconsin will be playing in Pasadena, Calif. come Jan. 1.
Penn State - Many critics saw Penn State as the team to beat in the Big Ten at the start of the season, yet consecutive losses at Michigan and Illinois to open conference play have some thinking the Nittany Lions might be overrated.
Senior quarterback Anthony Morelli has thrown five interceptions in his last three games after only throwing one in his first four.
PSU also suspended senior running back Austin Scott indefinitely. He was second on the team in rushing with 302 yards on 69 attempts.
Junior linebacker Sean Lee and senior linebacker Dan Conor rank second and third in the Big Ten with 63 and 58 total tackles respectively.
The Nittany Lions have the talent to reach a New Year's Day bowl game, but home games against Wisconsin and Ohio State and a road battle at Indiana may make doing so difficult.
Running erratically
Michigan State - The Spartans have proven to be the Dr. Jekyl-Mr. Hyde of the conference, as they are able to put up ridiculous numbers on offense, but can't seem to stop anyone defensively.
Junior quarterback Brain Hoyer ranks fifth in the Big Ten with a quarterback rating of 139.41, and has thrown for 1,286 yards and 10 touchdowns. His main receiving threat is junior wideout Devin Thomas, who has 25 receptions for 542 yards and four touchdowns this season.
Michigan State employs a ""Thunder and Lighting"" style of running attack, with senior Jehuu Caulcrick and junior Javon Ringer. Caulcrick has amassed 405 yards with 10 touchdowns, while the speedy Ringer has ran for 729 yards and four touchdowns.
If MSU can figure out a way to stop the opposition every once in a while, it may be able to make a late season push, and with some help from around the conference, finish towards the top of the conference with a fairly decent bowl game.
Keeping the pace
Northwestern - The Wildcats have basically met expectations so far this season, which is evident by their 3-3 overall record. However, Northwestern's season thus far has been anything but an even keel, as they have beaten Michigan State in a shootout, yet have lost to Duke 20-14.
Junior quarterback C.J. Bacher leads the aerial onslaught, and has passed for 1,767 yards and nine touchdowns.
Out of the backfield, senior running back Brandon Roberson and junior Omar Conteh share the workload, and have ran for 293 yards and 234 yards respectively. But as long as Northwestern's offense plays at such an up-and-down pace, there is not likely to be any chance of them finishing any higher than in the middle of the Big Ten standings.
Gasping for air
Iowa - The Hawkeyes defense has played tough, but their offense has been nonexistent. They rank dead last in the conference in several offensive categories including scoring offense, total offense and rushing offense. Only Illinois has a worse passing offense.
Iowa has lost four straight and 10 of 13 dating back to last season.
Sophomore quarterback Jake Christensen has been steady but not spectacular as he replaces three-year starter Drew Tate.
On defense, the Hawkeyes' senior linebacker Mike Humpal has tallied 55 total tackles, good for fourth in the conference.
Although Humpal and the Iowa defense will keep games close, the Hawkeyes will not make it to a bowl game this season.
Minnesota - The defensive meltdown that began in the Golden Gophers 44-41 loss to Texas Tech in last year's Insight Bowl has continued in 2007.
Opponents are dropping more than 37 points per game on the Gophers. Minnesota also ranks last in passing defense, rushing defense and turnover margin. If there is one saving grace for UM, it is that they face North Dakota State in two weeks.
