Illinois
Grade: B+
They've played a hell of a season so far, one that includes a victory over the media-adored Penn State University, and they actually held Ohio State down-- and only lost by 11 to the #1 team in the country. Their biggest game of the season comes this week against Michigan State. We'll really see what they're made of this weekend.
Indiana
Grade: C
And the only reason they get a C on this report card is the fact that they hung with Michigan until the end. They haven't beaten anyone sizable, and they got reamed by Ohio State this last weekend. Chappell and Doss/Belcher make quite a nice trio for the Hoosiers, but they still have a lot of polishing to do-- and recruiting too-- before they're competitive.
Iowa
Grade: C+
C+ because they beat the overrated Nittany Lions, and lost to the tragically overrated Arizona Wildcats. I can't figure this team out. They're dominant against bad teams (obviously) and 50/50 against decent to good teams. You don't know which team Ferentz is going to put out on the field. C for the inconsistencies, + for the talent.
Michigan
Grade: A-
Don't get too cocky Michigan fans, I'm just impressed that they have a winning record this season. I'll admit, I had them losing to Connecticut, and Notre Dame-- but who would've predicted Denard Robinson would go from Drew Henson to Tom Brady (NFL-wise) in the offseason? No one. But we saw how dangerous it can be to rest your success on one guy last week (and no defense), and that's why they get the minus.
Michigan State
Grade: A+
I'd be crazy not to give them this grade. Has there been a more consistently stable team in the Big Ten this season? 3 of the first 4 games were garbage, but the heart-stopper from Dantonio, combined with wins over Wisconsin and Michigan (when everyone picked Michigan to win) are starting to get Sparty some notoriety across the country. If they beat Iowa and Penn State, assuming there are no hiccups, we could be looking at at least a share of the Big Ten title.
Minnesota
Grade: D-
There are only two gimme-games on their schedule thus far this season, and they lost the one they were most likely to win. They lost to an FCS school who isn't even that good in FCS. So why the D-? Two reasons, one is the reason we just discussed (1-5 overall), and the other is that they're drastically under-performing for the talent they have. Losing Eric Decker shouldn't translate to a bad team, and yet somehow it has.
Northwestern
Grade: B+
People never understand why I rate them so highly. They're a great football team. Not elite, but upset-worthy-- and in the Big Ten, that can have implications on the National Championship/Rose Bowl. They lost a heartbreaker to Purdue off (surprise!) Stefan Demos' foot, but other than that, they've played quite well this season, and they've put up a top-20 passing offense. If I'm a Big Ten team, I don't take these guys lightly-- they've got a lot of potential to go places this year.
Ohio State
Grade: B+
Let's be real here-- they haven't been tested, nor have they really impressed me. Miami was supposed to put up a fight, but Harris (Herbstreit's favorite under-achiever) threw away the game with 4 interceptions. If you don't win that game, you deserve to drop back down to FCS. Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan should give them a run for their money, but only time will tell.
Penn State
Grade: F
Beating Youngstown State by 30, squeaking by Temple, and shutting down Kent State don't qualify as a good start. Granted, they had no chance against Alabama, but Penn State should be putting up better numbers than tied for dead last in the Big Ten with Minnesota and Indiana. Come on, Joe Pa. Get your boys together, you have a better team than this.
Purdue
Grade: C
Another identity crisis. They're 3-2 with losses to Notre Dame and Toledo. Neither team is really that great, so I'm having a hard time finding where this team fits in the Big Ten, even though they're tied for 2nd right now. The bad teams they have played, they've barely beaten. So once the dust settles, I see them towards the bottom.
Wisconsin
Grade: B+
They've played some uncomfortably close games, but they're a great team and only have one loss to arguably the best team in the conference right now. This team has serious potential to do some damage in the conference, especially against #1 this week. Watch out for the Badgers, the best is yet to come-- as long as they can keep it together.
Awards
Best (so far) in the Big Ten: Michigan State
One of two undefeated teams in the conference, and definitely the more tested of the two. I may be biased, but MSU has also played much tougher opponents than anyone else in the conference. Dantonio has this machine rigged to spoil the conference, and with this year's schedule omitting Ohio State, it's a definite possibility.
Best Player: Denard Robinson
I mean, who else would it be? There's no contest here. Before the season, I would've laughed at this suggestion, but he has admittedly gotten much better than he was last year. He's the only reason Michigan is 5-1, no one can argue that.
Biggest Surprise (team): Michigan
It's a toss-up between Illinois and Michigan for this one, but of the non-conference games both have played, Michigan has been a bit more impressive in their wins for one reason-- Denard Robinson. I saw them with a losing record coming into this week, so 5-1 is a pretty good start.
Biggest Freshman Impact: Le'Veon Bell, Michigan State
I couldn't find a freshman other than Robert Bolden that had done more for his team, and since Bell has played so consistently, the award goes to him. 71 carries for 549 yards (or 7.7 yards a carry), and 8 scores are second only to Denard Robinson in the Big Ten.
Best Defender: Ryan Kerrigan
So far, he seems to be the best impact on defense for any team in the Big Ten-- with a conference-leading 5.5 sacks, a safety, and a forced fumble this year. Unfortunately for him, he isn't getting the publicity because he plays for a sub-par Purdue team.
Biggest Letdown: Penn State
Joe Pa's team has really stunk up the joint this year. Granted, their 2 of their 3 losses are to ranked teams, but they're just not performing up to where they should be this year-- barely beating bad teams and getting smoked by good teams is not what we expected from this year's Penn State squad.
Best Coach: Mike Dantonio
Michigan State is getting a lot of love. It's not because I'm a fan, they're just playing great football and exceeding everyone's (including mine) expectations for the season. His call against Notre Dame was one of the best calls all year, and he's been through hell and back (heart attack, blood clot) to stand by his team and coach when he wasn't in the hospital.
Now, the fun ones:
Flyin' Under the Radar Award: Kirk Cousins
He's 9th in the country in passer rating, 11th in completion percentage, and 6th in yards per attempt. Who does ESPN talk about? Terrelle Pryor and Denard Robinson. That's flyin' under the radar.
Kirk Herbsreit's BFF Club Award: Terelle Pryor
OMG You Had to Be There Award: Rufus the Bobcat
I know, Ohio is a MAC conference team. But Rufus beat the crap out of Brutus the Buckeye, so he gets this award. Missed it? Check it out here.
Most Hospitable Old Man Award: Jim Tressel
Look at him, he'd probably bring you a Werther's and an afghan on a cold winter day-- and the sweater vest is an added bonus. Joe Pa is way too mean looking to get this award.
Quit Talking About It Already Award: SportsCenter and the Jim Tressel Look-a-like
We get it, and it was ironic the first time. But after hearing about it the whole week, I got tired of it. Denard Robinson finished 2nd for this award.
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