Midseason awards show

Unlike in the NFL, college football halftime is long enough to shuffle through the restroom procession, grab a drink and be back with time to spare. That's more than long enough to sift through the top and bottom of both Penn and the Ivy League this year.

Good surprises of the half-season:
Penn: Georgetown is who we thought they were. Columbia too.

Ivy League: Patriot League respect. The Ivies shook off a rough couple of weeks to go 3-1 on Saturday.

Bad surprise of the half-season:
Penn and the Ivy League: Quarterback problems. Injuries to Penn's Robert Irvin and Harvard's Liam O'Hagan threw a wrench into those teams, and Craig Hormann (Columbia) and Bill Foran (Princeton) have not taken the steps forward they needed this year. Chris Pizotti seems to have righted Harvard's ship; who knows on the other three.

Offensive player of the half-season:
Penn: Joe Sandberg. Just like he was last year. The senior is making his ninth semester count, bouncing back from hamstring and back injuries to put up triple-digit yardage again and lead Penn to two easy wins. Honorable mention: The entire offensive line. (Two sacks allowed.)

Ivy League: Mike McLeod. Hands down. The junior has become the nation's fourth-leading rusher on a team that loses about as often as the Colorado Rockies. Honorable mention: Brown quarterback Matt Dougherty.

Defensive player of the half-season:
Penn: Chris Wynn. Hard to argue against linebacker Joe Anastasio's 40 tackles, but I'm a sucker for interceptions. Wynn is one of 55 players in the FCS with three and the only player for Penn with more than one.

Ivy League: Tim Bax. He's been the big playmaker for a Cornell pass defense ranked second in the league, leading the conference with 30 solo tackles. Honorable mention: Yale's entire defense, for grabbing a league-high eight INTs.

Unresolved issue of the half-season:
Penn: The red zone. Converting at just 59 percent outside of Columbia won't get it done. Honorable mention: Bryan Walker's passing game.

Ivy League: Running games. As in, will they show up at Columbia, Harvard and Brown.

Quote of the half-season:
Penn: Wideout Braden Lepisto before the Georgetown game: "I don't even remember what it feels like to win."

Ivy League: Columbia coach Norries Wilson (surprise) after losing 29-0 to Lafayette: "We stink"