Every week, Phil Harrison looks back on football action in the heartland to provide you with five key points we learned after B1G play on the gridiron.
The curtain has fallen on four weeks now in the Big Ten. Believe it or not, that means the season is about one-quarter of the way through the regular season. We continue to see some surprises, heart-racing moments, and momentum turning wins that will inevitably shape the race for the Big Ten crown.
Here are five things to make note of after week four:
5. Something B1G is amiss at Iowa
http://gty.im/496172778
Iowa has always been a team that struggles with consistency year-end and year-out, even when it has its ducks in a row coming into the year. The Hawkeyes returned most of the major pieces that were instrumental in the run to the Big Ten Championship game last year, but so far things haven’t gone according to script.
Simply put, the offense has been off. The line has been unable to open up lanes against the likes of North Dakota State and Rutgers, and explosive plays have been missing on the outside as well. There’s still time to get it turned around, but right now, the Hawkeyes look like a shadow of what we saw in 2015.
4. James Franklin is in B1G trouble at Penn State
0-7 against Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. 0-6 against ranked teams. 2-2 against teams within the state of Pennsylvania. That’s the sad tale of the Penn State program under Franklin, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.
The guy has recruited very well, but there simply isn’t anything noteworthy occurring in the actual game of football at the base of Mount Nittany. There have been some key injuries on the defense, but it wasn’t up to Penn State standards before that, while the offense hasn’t been able to get on track despite having one of the most talented running backs in the country. Franklin needs a statement win desperately, or the administration might be picking up the phone to call Les Miles.
3. Michigan State lost a little too much from last year
http://gty.im/135815278
A lot of experts believe the Spartan program has reached the level where it can simply reload despite wholesale losses. There’s no doubt that Mark Dantonio has brought this program to new heights, but we might want to pump the brakes just a little before we believe it’s on par with the Alabamas and Ohio States of the world, because it sure looked like the Spartans missed some of those 2015 staples and paper-clips.
Quarterback Tyler O’Connor struggled mightly against Wisconsin, the running game couldn’t get anything going, and the entire offense was baffled and confused by a Wisconsin defense that forced four turnovers. There’s time to get it turned around, but clearly this team needs a little more development.
2. Michigan has a legitimate shot at the B1G title
Move over Ohio State. Look out Wisconsin. The Michigan Wolverines are the real-deal under Jim Harbaugh. They have an electric playmaker that can line up all over the field and still make an impact, have a top-shelf defense, and a quarterback that has a knack for making the right reads and timely big-plays to keep opposing defenses on-edge.
The Wolverines are every bit as good as anyone else in the league, and perhaps the country. If they can get past this week against Wisconsin, the stage is set for the big ones on the road against Michigan State and Ohio State. My how quickly Jim Harbaugh has turned the corner in Ann Arbor. This sure feels like your granddaddy’s Michigan Wolverines. But look out for …
1. Wisconsin can get through its tough schedule
http://gty.im/610177406
When everyone looked at the Badgers’ schedule for 2016, it was believed that four losses would be a good showing. I mean how do you go against the likes of LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska in the first two-thirds of the year and not be black and blue?
But that’s why they play the games.
So far, the Badgers have hurdled over two games they were supposed to lose. They started the Les Miles swan song in game one, and then dominated a physically imposing Michigan State team to serve notice that business has changed Madison.
There’s still four tougher-than-nails games to go over the next five weeks, but this team has a lights out defense, and an efficient enough offense to be in every one of those games. It’s time we give Wisconsin a real look at a player in the conference race. And if it’s a player in the Big Ten, it can very well be a big player nationally.
*
Phil Harrison is a frequent contributor to The Student Section. He is also a featured contributor to collegefootballews.com, and talking10.com. You can follow him on twitter @PhilHarrisonCFB or email him at pharrison28@gmail.com. If that doesn’t work, you can find him in the doghouse at home.
