The most underwhelming team so far in the B1G is...

Each Big Ten team has had its share of highs and lows through three games.

There have been great quarters, like Ohio State’s first quarter against Florida Atlantic. There have been terrible quarters, like Nebraska’s fourth quarter at Colorado. There have been great plays, like almost anytime Jonathan Taylor and Rondale Moore touch the ball. And there have been boneheaded plays, like Michigan State botching its game-tying field goal attempt because it had too many players on the field.

Most would probably agree that at the quarter-mark of the regular season, Ohio State and Wisconsin have been the most impressive teams.

The most underwhelming team is also undefeated. But relative to expectations and considering how close their games have been against subpar competition, Minnesota owns this distinction.

That’s because the Golden Gophers very easily could be 0-3 right now against a very soft schedule: South Dakota State, at Fresno State and Georgia Southern. Their strength of schedule ranks 87th in FBS, according to teamrankings.com. And Minnesota trailed in the fourth quarter of each of those three games, needing somewhat crazy finishes. It had less than a 50-percent chance to win in all three, according to ESPN’s win probability meter — including just an 8.1 percent chance to win at Fresno State and a 36.8 percent chance against Georgia Southern. So yeah, the Golden Gophers are fortunate to be 3-0.

You may be thinking, wait, a 3-0 team is the most underwhelming? You bet. But they won, right? Isn’t that enough. No, it’s definitely not enough. If this were the NFL, then it would be enough. That’s a one-possession league, meaning the worst teams in the league will lose the majority of their games by one possession and the best teams in the league will win most of their games by one possession. Rarely is there a double-digit spread (unless the Patriots are hosting the Jets when the latter is on their third-string QB).

But this is college football. Style points matter. So does context. Minnesota was favored by 17 points against Georgia Southern and 14.5 against South Dakota State. A good Big Ten team takes care of business against those teams at home. Minnesota, though, needed a touchdown with 5:39 left against South Dakota State to retake the lead before holding on for dear life while the Jackrabbits drove into Golden Gopher territory. And did you

If this was Purdue (one of the most inexperienced teams in the country), then I could understand. But Minnesota had 16 starters back this season, including nine on offense. The Golden Gophers had their top five rushers, their top five pass catchers and their starting quarterback all back from a season in which they won three of their last four, including a 22-point win against Wisconsin.

So that’s why there was plenty of buzz about the Golden Gophers building on that strong finish to 2018 and taking the next step in P.J. Fleck’s third season. In a wide-open West Division with a favorable schedule, Minnesota seemed to be a shoo-in to win nine games.

After seeing the issues on the offensive line and Tanner Morgan’s inability to get the ball to Tyler Johnson consistently (he had just seven catches for 99 yards the first two games before exploding for 10 catches for 140 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner against Georgia Southern), I’m no longer optimistic Minnesota has any chance of contending in the West. Even with a favorable crossover schedule that doesn’t include Ohio State, Michigan or Michigan State, the Golden Gophers are struggling right now in ways that we didn’t think an experienced team would. If Minnesota continues to play this way, it will be right back at 6-6 or 7-5, even with a great schedule lined up.

As for the other underwhelming contenders… Michigan State has been disappointing, but we already knew its offense was lousy. Nebraska has been underwhelming at times, but it has looked dominant at times too. Purdue hasn’t taken the next step, but at least it knocked off an SEC team. Even Maryland and Illinois, thought to be two of the bottom-feeders of the Big Ten, have shown promise.

Minnesota, on the other hand, hasn’t done anything to impress anyone. Well, unless you count somehow avoiding an 0-3 start as amazing.

After the latest escape, Fleck told reporters, “We have winners on this football team, and they find ways to win.” He can spin this anyway he wants, like that this is great experience on how to win close games.

But that seems to be a cover-up for the real story — that Minnesota just isn’t nearly as good as everyone thought.