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Now, the sample size is large enough.
Every B1G team has played at least four games, some have even played five. We’ve also seen each B1G team play against multiple Power 5 teams.
So what does that mean? I have enough data to come up with one telling stat for each B1G team in this week’s B1G Power Rankings.
14. Rutgers: Second-worst Power 5 team in passing offense
Jerry Kill probably isn’t about to throw Saturday’s game against Ohio State on his résumé. That is, unless he wants the world to know his offense only had 29 passing yards, none of which went to Rutgers receivers. That’s not a good sign for a team that’s going to find itself trailing a lot in 2017.
13. Illinois: Worst P5 team in total offense
To call Illinois’ offense “bad” would be putting it mildly. It’s awful. The Illini can’t move the ball at all, especially with the passing game. Chayce Crouch struggled mightily in the early going. Now, Jeff George Jr. will get a shot. Yes, Illinois is young, but there’s no excuse for a team to average 267 yards per game with a lackluster schedule.
12. Nebraska: Tanner Lee has 7 TDs/2 INTs in wins vs. 3 TDs/7 INTs in losses
Apparently Lee’s performance has an impact on whether Nebraska wins or loses. Who would’ve thought? Those two interceptions in Nebraska’s victories both came against Rutgers. It would’ve taken a lot more for the Huskers to lose that one, too. With the Blackshirts playing as well as they have since the second half at Oregon (only two touchdowns allowed in the last 14 quarters), Lee’s ball-security can be the difference-maker.
11. Indiana: 113th in FBS in time of possession
The Hoosiers just can’t sustain drives. And while Tom Allen’s defense certainly looks better, it runs out of gas against better teams because the offense can’t stay on the field. Not surprisingly, Allen announced on Monday that Peyton Ramsey would be the starter moving forward. Perhaps he can flip that ugly number around.
10. Northwestern: B1G-worst 3.75 sacks allowed/game
Clayton Thorson is a pretty mobile guy. For that number to be that high is alarming. Thorson was sacked eight times against Wisconsin, which ultimately cost Northwestern a chance at rallying late. Yes, Thorson needs to make some better decisions, but he has to get more time than he’s been getting.
9. Minnesota: One receiver averaging > 22 receiving yards/game
The Gopher passing game has been, um, not very good to start off the P.J. Fleck era. Conor Rhoda’s most consistent target has been sophomore Tyler Johnson, who is off to a solid start. But besides Johnson, Minnesota hasn’t been able to develop a second target. We thought Rashad Still would be the go-to guy, but a suspension plagued his start. Demetrius Douglas is out for the year. Can Brandon Lingen step up? Can anyone?
8. Iowa: Averaging 3.4 yards per carry
So remember how we spent the offseason talking about how promising Akrum Wadley would be behind Iowa’s veteran offensive line? Well, the Hawkeye senior is averaging 3.8 yards per carry. If not for his involvement in the passing game, Wadley’s talents would be going to waste. Iowa ran for a combined 2.1 yards per carry in its first two B1G games. Naturally, the Hawkeyes are winless in conference play.
7. Michigan State: Brian Lewerke leads MSU in rushing
Speaking of teams struggling to run the ball, it’s probably not ideal that Lewerke is leading the Spartans in rushing. That’s not a knock on Lewerke, who has some wheels and has been key in MSU’s 3-1 start. But the Spartan tailbacks need to have a bigger impact in that system. L.J. Scott, Madre London and Gerald Holmes averaged a combined 3.7 yards per carry in the first four games. The Spartans aren’t returning to the B1G elite with numbers like that.
6. Purdue: Allowing 3.8 yards per rush
Remember last year when the Boilers allowed 5.25 yards per rush and finished 115th in FBS in rushing yards allowed per game? Well, that was before Jeff Brohm arrived in West Lafayette. Lost in the hoopla of Brohm’s arrival was the fact that his Western Kentucky team ranked second behind only Alabama against the run in 2016. Purdue’s defensive turnaround, especially stopping the run, is the biggest reason this looks like a different team in 2017.
5. Maryland: Averaging 6.46 yards per play
Three quarterbacks? Who cares? As we saw on Saturday at Minnesota, the Terps can move the ball with anyone under center. Offensive coordinator Walt Bell has done a masterful job of maximizing the potential of Maryland’s offense. How impressive is 6.46 yards per play? Penn State averaged 6.87 yards per play so far with the likes of Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley.
4. Ohio State: Averaging 49.3 points per game vs. non-Oklahoma teams
If the Buckeyes had pulled out a 35-28 victory against Oklahoma, Kevin Wilson would be the toast of college football right now. But that didn’t happen. At all. The Buckeyes averaged 3.5 times more points in their four non-Oklahoma games. While the second-half outburst against Indiana was impressive, lighting up Army, UNLV and Rutgers won’t ease the concerns about OSU’s offensive limitations.
3. Wisconsin: Outscoring teams 98-14 in second half
That number would be even more lopsided if the Badgers didn’t check out early on Saturday against Northwestern. Wisconsin has still been absolutely dominant in the second half. That’s a credit to the halftime adjustments made by the coaching staff. It feels a lot like what Penn State did during its run to the B1G Championship last year. It’s a dangerous formula, but so far, it hasn’t yielded anything but victories.
2. Michigan: No. 1 team in FBS in total defense
We can talk about the offensive woes until we’re blue in the face (see what I did there?), but it shouldn’t go unnoticed that Don Brown is once again leading the nation’s top defense. The Wolverines certainly don’t look like a group that returned just one starter. Chase Winovich and the Michigan defense looks about as dominant as any unit in the country outside of Alabama and Georgia.
1. Penn State: No. 3 in FBS in scoring defense
Oh, you thought I was going to talk some more about Saquon Barkley, didn’t you? Don’t worry. There will be plenty of time for that. For my money, few units have been a more pleasant surprise than the Penn State defense. Keep in mind that this was a unit that got shredded in the Rose Bowl. In five games this year, the Lions allowed less points (47) than they did against USC (52). If that isn’t a telling stat, I don’t know what is.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.