At the midway point of the season, we can make some conclusions about the B1G.

Penn State is pretty good. Illinois is not.

There’s some #analysis for ya.

In all seriousness, we can now declare which teams look like contenders and which teams look like pretenders. For my money, there are four B1G teams who look like they have a legitimate chance to win a division title. Three of them are in the B1G East, and one of them is in the B1G West (again, not you, Illinois).

The Week 8 B1G Power Rankings reflect that:

14. Illinois (LW: 14)

When you lose the B1G Toilet Bowl, you earn a comfortable spot at No. 14.

13. Rutgers (LW: 13)

When you win the B1G Toilet Bowl, you’ve got “No. 13” written all over you.

12. Nebraska (LW: 11)

The Huskers have wins against Arkansas State, Illinois and Rutgers. They held a 98-59 advantage in those three games. Against the likes of Ohio State, Oregon and Wisconsin, the Huskers were outscored 136-66. Oh, and that’s not including the Northern Illinois loss.

11. Minnesota (LW: 9)

Why drop the Gophers two spots after losing by three points to No. 21 Michigan State, you ask? Well, Minnesota is now 1-3 vs. Power 5 opponents with the lone win coming against 1-6 Oregon State. That was with a somewhat favorable draw to start B1G play, too. Surely some idiots thought Minnesota would get off to a better start.

10. Maryland (LW: 7)

The quarterback situation is brutal, but it’s still not an excuse for getting thumped at home by Northwestern. That was still a Northwestern team that was looking for its first win against a Power 5 foe. The Terps might get a bit of a break for not establishing the run against a Wildcat defense that contained Saquon Barkley a week earlier. Still, that inconsistency doesn’t bode well for a team that has matchups vs. Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State and Michigan in the second half of 2017.

9. Northwestern (LW: 12)

Speaking of the Wildcats, Northwestern is finally on the board with a Power 5 win. Justin Jackson finally got rolling, and once again, Northwestern stopped the run. When Northwestern has been at its best under Pat Fitzgerald, that’s been the formula. The Cats have an extremely favorable second half of 2017. If they play like they did against Maryland, there’s no reason this team shouldn’t still get to seven wins.

8. Indiana (LW: 10)

Indiana moved up two spots after a loss. That says a lot about the week that was for the bottom half of the B1G. The Hoosiers, for the millionth time in a row, were just short of getting a signature win. Well, let me backtrack. Michigan State was supposed to be the signature win last year but then the Spartans won half as many games as IU.

Indiana contained a struggling Michigan offense and at least fought back to force overtime. Still, moral victories don’t mean much in Bloomington these days. The question now is whether Indiana can get to six wins and clinch its third consecutive bowl berth for the second time in program history.

7. Iowa (LW: 8)

There’s an interesting stat I saw floating around about Iowa. Consider this:

Iowa’s two losses are one-possession games to top-20 teams, too. Everybody knows that the Hawkeyes are a fingernail away from being 5-1 and in the top 25. So what’s the concerning thing about Iowa moving forward? The Hawkeyes rank 90th in rushing. That’s with Akrum Wadley back there. As throwing conditions worsen in B1G country, that number can’t hold steady if Iowa is going to stick around in the B1G West.

6. Purdue (LW: 6)

While Purdue has been a significantly better team in the first half of 2016, the win total doesn’t necessarily reflect that. A 3-3 Purdue team might not change many lazy narratives. But in the second half of 2017, the Boilers don’t face a single B1G team ranked better than No. 7 on this list. Don’t be surprised when Jeff Brohm’s name gets thrown around for big time jobs as Purdue racks up wins in the second half.

5. Michigan (LW: 5)

A few people probably thought I was bit too hard on Michigan on Saturday when I claimed that the Wolverines still didn’t look like B1G East contenders yet. After all, it was a B1G road win against an improved Indiana team. Why so harsh? When you have an offense that’s struggling like Michigan’s, it’s easy to play down to competition. Look at the records of Michigan’s opponents so far:

  • Florida: 3-3
  • Cincinnati: 2-5
  • Air Force: 2-4
  • Purdue: 3-3
  • Indiana: 3-3

Is that Michigan’s fault? Of course not. But let’s not forget that Michigan didn’t blow out any of those teams. Now, it has a second half that includes games at Penn State, at Wisconsin and vs. Ohio State. For an offense that ranks just 86th in total yards, that’s a troubling sight.

4. Michigan State (LW: 4)

Like Michigan, Michigan State had to grind out a road win against an inferior B1G opponent. Why doesn’t MSU get criticized like Michigan then? Well, MSU is now 3-0 in B1G, including a win at the Big House. The Spartans also have wins against three teams with winning records.

MSU is in favorable position to stay in the East race all year, especially if it can pick up a win vs. Ohio State or Penn State. That’s easier said than done, but at least the Spartans made 2016 look like a one-year hiccup.

Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

3. Wisconsin (LW: 2)

Fittingly, a week after I declare the Badgers are legitimate College Football Playoff contenders, they beat Purdue by a touchdown at home. While the Boilermakers are a vastly improved program, it wasn’t the best afternoon for Wisconsin.

So why am I still high on the Badgers? Besides the extremely favorable schedule, they still rank fourth against the run and they’re No. 13 in rushing offense (Alabama and Georgia are the only other Power 5 programs that can claim that). As we know, those are two key B1G metrics in the final six weeks.

2. Ohio State (LW: 3)

I get it. I, just like you, am waiting to make any sweeping generalizations about Ohio State’s College Football Playoff credentials until it takes on a legitimate top-25 team again. Nebraska is not that. Having said that, the Buckeyes went into Lincoln and blew the doors off the Huskers. That was a Nebraska team that hadn’t lost a home night game since 2008 before Wisconsin ended that streak last week.

It was yet another dominant all-around performance from a team that looks like it’s clicking a whole lot more than it was a month ago. Four straight games of 54-plus points will be tested when Ohio State takes on Penn State’s top-ranked scoring defense in two weeks.

1. Penn State (LW: 1)

Penn State got a well-timed bye week before its showdown against Michigan. Through six games, there are a lot of numbers I like about the Lions (FBS ranks):

  • No. 1 scoring defense
  • No. 2 turnover margin
  • No. 4 red-zone defense (No. 1 in fewest red zone scores allowed)

As long as Penn State’s defense is playing like that, the Lions will have a shot to run the table in the regular season. But there are a few numbers that concern me slightly about Penn State:

  • No. 66 rushing offense
  • No. 101 in sacks allowed
  • 2-10 conference record of Power 5 opponents

The two biggest reasons to not completely buy into Penn State yet are the offensive line and the strength of schedule. The latter will change, beginning with Michigan this weekend. If the former doesn’t change, the Lions’ highest national ranking of the post-Joe Paterno era might not last for long.