It took a wild final play last week, but the Big Ten East appears to be headed toward the type of year most expected, at least at the top. Meanwhile, the West might not be as wild as expected with Iowa entering the second half in the driver’s seat. Midseason MVP: Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State With the quarterback position a question more often that not on a weekly basis, the junior from St. Louis was the most constant threat the defending champions had in the first half of the season. He leads the Big Ten and is fifth nationally in rushing at 141.1 yards per game. Freshman of the (half) year: Jabrill Peppers, DB (and more), Michigan The redshirt freshman wasted no time showing Wolverines fans what they were missing last season while he sat out with an injury, showing off his speed an athleticism in the season-opener at Utah. He has only gotten better since, notching 23 tackles, including 4.5 for loss. He has also flashed the ability to be a dangerous return man and joined the Wolverines offense last week in their narrow loss to Michigan State. Biggest surprise (team): No. 12 Iowa Hawkeyes (7-0, 3-0) Kirk Ferentz’s squad has raced off to their best start since 2009 when the Hawkeyes won their first nine games. The team has played stout defense, as they currently posses the 12th best total defense, only giving up 294.3 yards per game. They have an extremely favorable schedule for the rest of the season which has many people in Iowa City wondering if 12-0 and a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game is in the cards…
Continue Reading: Big Ten notebook: It’s time for midseason awards
