Oregon earns statement victory; Michigan, USC concern

Midseason Grade: C-

Northwestern is on an upward trend after its quarterback change sparked new life in a previously hapless offense. With Jack Lausch under center, the Wildcats racked up 37 points in a win over Maryland and 24 points in a loss to Indiana. It is no juggernaut, but Northwestern has an underrated defense and at least has the offensive tools necessary to stay afloat in the Big Ten. Reaching bowl eligibility will be a challenge given the tough tests that lie ahead, but it appears coach David Braun gives this program a solid floor.

Midseason Grade: D-

The only thing separating Purdue from an “F” grade is the out-of-nowhere comeback effort in the second half of last week’s heartbreaking loss to Illinois. Up to that point, the Boilermakers looked like the worst team in the Power Four. In fact, they still might be. But to come back from 24 points down and take a lead in the fourth quarter against a top-25 team was impressive, and perhaps the spark Ryan Browne gave the program with his 297 passing yards, 118 rushing yards and three total touchdowns can help pull Purdue out of the Big Ten’s basement.

Midseason Grade: C

Rutgers could not feel further removed from its perfect 4-0 start. That hot streak looks more fraudulent with each passing week. The Scarlet Knights were outplayed in the last of those wins, and they managed just seven points in each of their last two games — both of which resulted in losses. Greg Schiano’s defense is one of the stingiest groups in the Big Ten and Kyle Monangai remains an elite running back, but this team is reeling from injuries in the trenches and has a narrow margin for error with its play style.

Midseason Grade: B-

The potential make-or-break year for P.J. Fleck at Minnesota is somewhat of a mixed bag, but the highlights outweigh the losses thus far. The Golden Gophers pulled off one of the more unforeseen upsets of the season with their win over USC, and they were a phantom offsides call away from having a shot at completing a comeback win at Michigan. Running back Darius Taylor has been a tremendous and versatile weapon for this offense while transfer quarterback Max Brosmer continues to provide an upgrade at his position. The defense is quite strong, too, and pitched two non-conference shutouts.

Midseason Grade: A-

Whatever the second half of last weekend’s game against Purdue was, it does not define Illinois’ 2024 season. Credit to the Illini for fending off what would have been a disastrous loss to Purdue, but that they blew a four-possession lead on the heels of a loss to Penn State has things trending in the wrong direction for a program that emerged as one of the nation’s biggest September surprises. Luke Altmyer still looks like one of the Big Ten’s top quarterbacks, Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin are an electric one-two receiving punch and the defense is far better than it showed in the near disaster against the Boilermakers.

Midseason Grade: D

Expectations for UCLA in Year 1 under DeShaun Foster were mostly modest, but things in Westwood have gone about as poorly as possible through the first half of the season. A 16-13 win against Hawai’i is the lone bright spot, and that is nothing to write home about. In the Bruins’ defense, the schedule has been brutal with three ranked matchups and three trips outside the Pacific Time Zone, but to have scored no more than 17 points in a game is a testament to how much work they have ahead of them.

Midseason Grade: A+

Curt Cignetti is a winner. The first year of his Indiana tenure could very well end up being one of the very best seasons in program history. The rising star on the coaching ladder knocked his transfer portal efforts out of the park and has been relentless with his in-game leadership, squeezing the life out of each and every opponent with at least 41 points in every contest against FBS competition. Identifying Kurtis Rourke as a priority addition to the roster continues to pay massive dividends as he works through a dark-horse Heisman campaign, and he is far from the Hoosiers’ only instant-impact newcomer.

Midseason Grade: B

Iowa has an offense, or at least one-half of an offense. Kaleb Johnson is a breakout star for the Hawkeyes with 937 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the year, and his importance cannot be understated as the program showed improvement on his side of the ball even without any semblance of a reliable passing attack. Johnson’s play also covers up some of the uncharacteristic letdowns from a defense that still remains mostly elite. With a favorable schedule ahead that features no ranked opponents, the Hawkeyes could reasonably sneak their way into another Big Ten title game appearance or make things interesting in a tiebreaker scenario.

Midseason Grade: B-

Washington exemplifies the high-variance nature of the Big Ten’s middle class. One week, the Huskies defeat Michigan in a national championship rematch. The next, they lay an egg in a 40-16 drubbing at the hands of Iowa. Bouncing back in the weeks ahead will be a big challenge for Jedd Fisch’s debut UW squad with some of the best teams in the league on the remaining slate. Regardless of what happens between now and the end of the year, Fisch deserves credit for fielding a very competitive team after inheriting just two starters from last year’s roster.

Midseason Grade: D+

So much for the Big Ten’s divisionless structure benefiting Maryland. The expectation was that the Terps would thrive in an era where Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan did not land on their schedule each year, but instead they are 0-3 against the caliber of opponents they typically beat while in the Big Ten East. Mike Locksley’s best win this year — and only victory against a Power Four opponent — is against a Virginia team that remains in the lower half of the ACC. Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. is a pleasant surprise and has a nice connection with wide receiver Tai Felton, but the bright spots end there.

Midseason Grade: B

It is the midway point of the season, and the jury is still out on what to make of Wisconsin. On one hand, it struggled to score over the first month of the campaign and has two losses on its ledger. On the other hand, it defeated its last two opponents by a combined 97-13 margin. Braedyn Locke seems to have settled into the starting quarterback role with Tyler Van Dyke out for the season, and Tawee Walker did the same at running back without Chez Mellusi. Might the Badgers have upgraded at both spots? If so, the back half of their campaign could be fun.

Midseason Grade: C

Aidan Chiles is a microcosm of Michigan State’s first season under Jonathan Smith. There are flashes of excellence, followed by concerning lows. Three-straight losses ensued after three-straight wins, and the Spartans hit their bye week in search of another momentum shift after defeats against back-to-back top-10 opponents. The schedule does not get a whole lot easier until late November, but Smith is a good enough coach to keep his team engaged through what looks to be an extended rough patch.

Midseason Grade: A

Oregon is on cloud nine after its program-defining win over Ohio State. The Ducks put all of the concerns that emerged from a shaky start to the year to rest with perhaps the best win of the entire college football season, and in doing so, they cemented themselves as national championship contenders. Dillon Gabriel was the best version of himself in the monumental win over the Buckeyes, and if he stays in that form, there is not a team in the country the Ducks cannot beat.

Midseason Grade: B+

Dylan Raiola cooled off quite a bit from the hot start to his college career, but he remains the catalyst behind Nebraska’s breakthrough. The Huskers are right on schedule in the Matt Rhule-led rebuild and will snap their extended bowl drought with their next victory. That alone makes the season a success. Everything on top of a .500 record is gravy, and there might be plenty of it. The next step is to beat ranked opponents, and the first of those tests comes this week against Indiana. The Huskers reach “A” status with a victory in that spot.

Midseason Grade: C-

USC would have received an “A” through two games. One month later, though, all of the preseason concerns surrounding the Trojans seem warranted. The program’s physicality was in question entering the year and proved costly against Michigan and Penn State, and the upset loss to Minnesota was reminiscent of the head-scratching defeats Lincoln Riley and his squad suffered in the final year of the Pac-12. This team is still more well-rounded than that 2023 unit, but it needs to do some soul-searching after three disappointing losses.

Midseason Grade: A

They were not all pretty, but Penn State strung together six wins to close the first half of the season as one of three undefeated Big Ten teams. The most recent victory was the most impressive, without a doubt. James Franklin took his team across the country, fought back from a double-digit deficit and came out of Los Angeles with an overtime win against a team in desperation mode. The offense’s major strides this season and the defense’s reliability as one of the nation’s best makes Penn State a clear top-tier team in this league. The goal is to finally make the Playoff, and the Nittany Lions are on pace to do so.

Midseason Grade: C

A step backward from last season’s dominance always seemed likely for Michigan, but to slide this far is a major disappointment. It all starts at the quarterback spot for the Wolverines, where first-year coach Sherrone Moore continues to seek answers at the midway point. Three starters under center later, the program already holds two losses and has not beaten a Power Four team by more than three points. The defense will keep Michigan alive against just about any opponent, but the lack of any kind of passing attack limits the upside significantly. The Playoff is likely out of reach.

Midseason Grade: A-

One game does not determine Ohio State’s season ceiling, especially with the loss at Oregon being so competitive. The Buckeyes still have all the talent in the world and looked good enough against the Ducks to justify confidence in their ability to win the national championship. What the loss represents, though, is that Ryan Day has still yet to get over the big-game hump. That was the kind of game the program expected to win when it went all-in on building this loaded roster. The disappointment stings for now, but all of the Buckeyes’ biggest goals are still attainable. Day just has to prove he can get them there.