By Scott Dochterman and Cameron Teague Robinson

As we approach the midpoint of the college football season, it’s fair to say expansion coupled with a division-less structure has given the Big Ten a little juice and far more intrigue. With three teams ranked in the top four of the AP poll, there’s also high-level play happening in the nation’s oldest conference.

All season, The Athletic’s writers will rank various Big Ten topics. This week, Cameron Teague Robinson and Scott Dochterman offer their midterm grades for the Big Ten’s 18 schools. Teams are graded on a curve based on expectations, not who can beat whom.

Indiana: A+

One of two teams with an A-plus, Indiana has been fantastic. New coach Curt Cignetti has put Indiana firmly in the Big Ten title and College Football Playoff race (the Hoosiers are projected as the 11-seed in The Athletic’s latest CFP model). Ohio transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke is playing well, and the Hoosiers (6-0) have continually found ways to win. This week’s game against Nebraska will be a test, but to this point, Indiana has been one of the surprises, and best storylines, in college football. — Robinson

Oregon: A+

No team has a better resume than Oregon. The Ducks beat Ohio State on Saturday and Boise State in Week 2, which is ranked No. 15 in the AP poll. Sure, some things could’ve gone better to start the year, but the Ducks (6-0) look like a national title contender after this perfect start and seem destined for a trip to Indianapolis in their first year in the Big Ten. — Robinson

Could anybody have imagined Penn State would be third in the AP poll at this point? If you did, you’re lying. The Nittany Lions (6-0) aren’t a perfect team, they struggled at home against Bowling Green and needed overtime to beat USC, but they are undefeated. Everything is going as planned for Penn State, which will go into its Nov. 2 matchup against Ohio State with a lot on the line. James Franklin deserves credit for the start, but he’ll be judged by the Ohio State game. — Robinson

This already is an un-Illini season, and that’s a good thing in Champaign. In September, Illinois (5-1) produced a pair of ranked wins for the first time in a single season since 2007. Last week, the Illini blew a three-touchdown lead yet rallied in the final minute to force overtime and beat Purdue 50-49. The Illini looked only slightly overmatched in their loss at Penn State and are just 1-point underdogs to Michigan this week. With quality skill-position players like quarterback Luke Altmyer and receiver Pat Bryant, Illinois should continue making noise. — Dochterman

Ohio State: A-

Sure, Ohio State just lost the biggest game on the Big Ten schedule, but a 1-point loss, coming down to the final play, on the road, isn’t a reason to panic. The Buckeyes (5-1) have more talent than everybody left on their schedule and have shown through six weeks their offensive line is better and Will Howard has filled the quarterback hole well. The defense needs to bounce back from the Oregon loss, but Ohio State has still been one of the best teams in the country. — Robinson

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Nebraska: B+

Sitting at 5-1, the Huskers are in great shape to not only qualify for their first bowl game since 2016 but also move up the lineup. They’re developing an outstanding young quarterback in Dylan Raiola and possess a quality defense. In most years, this type of start deserves an A. But the way the Huskers lost at home against Illinois keeps them in B territory, at least for now. The schedule becomes much more challenging for Nebraska, starting this week at Indiana followed by a trip to Ohio State. — Dochterman

Iowa: B

The first half brought mixed results for the Hawkeyes (4-2). A 1-point home loss to Iowa State on a last-second 54-yard field goal put their College Football Playoff hopes in jeopardy. But since then, Iowa has found an offense and averages 29.2 points per game, up from 15.4 last year. Running back Kaleb Johnson ranks second nationally in rushing yards (937) and first in runs of 25-plus yards (16). The defense hasn’t been quite as dominant, but it’s finding its footing. With an advantageous second-half schedule, the Hawkeyes could approach their fourth 10-win season in the last six years. — Dochterman

Perhaps no Big Ten team has had a more perplexing season thus far than the Gophers (4-3). They missed a field goal at the gun against North Carolina and were wrongly penalized after recovering an onside kick down 3 points at Michigan. But outside of a rough second half against Iowa, Minnesota has played well in about every game and strung together some quality victories, especially against USC. The Gophers are solid at all of the pivotal spots and are moving in the right direction. — Dochterman

Wisconsin: B-

A 4-2 start was not surprising, but the Badgers are at a crossroads. When quarterback Tyler Van Dyke went down with a torn ACL early in a 42-10 loss to Alabama, it appeared the season was lost. That seemed confirmed after a 38-21 defeat at USC. But Braedyn Locke has improved steadily at quarterback and thrown for a combined 599 yards in wins against Purdue (52-6) and Rutgers (42-7). The upcoming schedule is difficult, but Wisconsin appears to be ascending at the right time. — Dochterman

Wisconsin won its last two Big Ten games by a combined score of 94-13, but the back half of the Badgers’ Big Ten schedule includes Penn State and Oregon, among others. (Vincent Carchietta / Imagn Images)

The Spartans were never expected to compete for the Big Ten crown, but the 3-0 start was surprising, especially winning at Maryland. The Spartans are three games from bowl eligibility and already have losses to Ohio State and Oregon out of the way. At 3-3, things aren’t great, but the Spartans still have a lot to play for. That’s a positive with first-year head coach Jonathan Smith getting acclimated. — Robinson

Rutgers: C+

The Scarlet Knights started the year 4-0, had a good road win against Virginia Tech and opened Big Ten play with a win against Washington. Since then, they have lost to Nebraska and were blown out 42-7 at Wisconsin. I had the Scarlet Knights as a sleeper Playoff team, especially with the schedule they drew, so though 4-2 isn’t bad, it’s a slight disappointment, especially after the loss to the Badgers. Altogether, though, Rutgers should be bowl eligible with a few marquee matchups the rest of the way. — Robinson

Washington: C+

Every power conference administrator needs to closely examine what happened in Washington. The Huskies played for the College Football Playoff championship, then lost their coach to Alabama, saw all but two starters enter either the portal or NFL Draft (10 players) and moved to a new conference. It could have been a disaster. But Washington landed a solid coach in Jedd Fisch, picked up some high-level players in the portal and put together a good roster. As expected, the Huskies are inconsistent, but at least they’re competitive (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten). — Dochterman

Just when it looked like the Wildcats (3-3) were ready to fall apart, they collected themselves and produced their best win of the season in a 37-10 rout of Maryland. The score completely belies the game’s statistics, but Northwestern has an edgy competitiveness that cannot be discarded. The Wildcats have been wildly inconsistent, and the upcoming schedule does them no favors, but they’ll probably knock off a rival like Wisconsin or Iowa and go into the final weekend looking for a bowl bid. — Dochterman

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USC: C-

USC is 3-3 and 1-3 in the Big Ten, but the Trojans are really just a few plays from being undefeated. They blew a double-digit lead and lost in overtime to Penn State this weekend, lost by 3 at Michigan and lost by 7 to Minnesota. The record matters, though, and the Trojans expected to be a Top 25 team with no more than two losses at this point. This has been a disappointing year for USC, and with a loss to Michigan, the grade can’t be higher. — Robinson

Maryland: D+

Maryland won at Virginia but is 0-3 in Big Ten play with a bad loss to Michigan State at home already on the books. The Terps might be 3-3 overall, but this is going to get worse before it gets better. They might not reach bowl eligibility, and if so, it’ll be the first time under Mike Locksley since 2020. — Robinson

Michigan: D

Listen, I know Michigan’s grade is lower than USC’s and it beat the Trojans, but that’s because this has been a more disappointing year for the Wolverines. Michigan’s College Football Playoff hopes are over in October (I didn’t see that coming). Michigan got blown out by Texas, which isn’t a huge strike on the resume, but losing to Washington is a bad loss. The Wolverines have no passing attack, and the defense hasn’t been as good as some thought in the preseason. They sit at 56th in scoring defense and 44th in total defense in the FBS, both below Michigan State, which played Oregon and Ohio State already. — Robinson

The Bruins (1-5) are a long way from competing in the Big Ten, and the schedule offers them no favors. They’ve lost their five power-conference games by an average of 17.4 points, and only one had a margin closer than 16 points. First-year coach DeShaun Foster has the Big Ten’s worst statistical offense and the league’s 15th-best defense. They haven’t scored more than 17 points in any game and they’ve got consecutive trips to Rutgers and Nebraska up next. It’s going to be a rough one in Westwood. — Dochterman

Purdue: F

No matter how grim Ryan Walters’ second season appeared in the spring based on the transfer portal and the schedule, it’s been much worse. From losing around 30 players last offseason, including elite pass rusher Nic Scourton (Texas A&M) and receiver Deion Burks (Oklahoma), to firing offensive coordinator Graham Harrell to ranking last in power-conference scoring defense, this is a lost season. And it’s only going to get worse with the Boilermakers playing Oregon, Ohio State and Penn State in three of their next four games. — Dochterman

(Top photos of Dillon Gabriel, Jahmal Edrine: Craig Strobeck, Ron Johnson / Imagn Images)