James Franklin sounded awfully like a former Penn State football coach Wednesday night when he was asked what he tells the players about the Nittany Lions’ No. 3 ranking. “We don’t really talk about it,” Franklin said, echoing the late Joe Paterno. “We were 1-0 last week and we were appreciative of that. I don’t think we’ve talked about it one time in our building. “Those things are out of our control. We don’t spend any time talking about those things. We just focus on trying to get better. So far our guys have done a pretty good job of that.” Penn State became the only FBS team in the country to start 6-0 the last two seasons with a 33-30 overtime win over USC. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Lions have a 79% chance of making the 12-team College Football Playoff. Only Texas, Oregon and Ohio State have higher percentages. Defensive end Abdul Carter leads Penn State with four sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger) The Lions begin the second half of the regular season next Saturday night at Wisconsin, followed by home games against Ohio State and Washington, trips to Purdue and Minnesota and the regular season finale against Maryland at Beaver Stadium. So far, they’ve done everything they’ve needed to do. “The exciting thing is I still feel that there’s a lot of room for improvement for us,” Franklin said. The Ol’ Perfesser feels the same way about Penn State, based on his midseason report card: Quarterbacks: Drew Allar delivered when Penn State needed him most against USC, overcoming his three interceptions. He’s improved considerably since last year in pass efficiency (175.8 to 136.9), yards per completion (14.49 to 11.29), yards per pass attempt (10.22 to 6.76) and completion percentage (70.5 to 59.9). Grade: A. Running backs: Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen are the cornerstones of the offense, combining for 857 yards and six touchdowns so far. Singleton also has three TD catches, second on the team. When a defense like USC designs a scheme to stop them, it shows how much respect opponents have. Grade: B+. Wide receivers: Penn State might not have an elite wide receiver, but four guys are all averaging at least 14.7 yards per catch. Harrison Wallace III has the most receptions (17) in the group, but don’t be surprised if Julian Fleming is more productive the rest of the way after his two huge fourth-down catches against USC. Grade: B. Tight ends: Tyler Warren has established himself as one of the very best tight ends in the country and one of the most versatile players. He leads the Lions with 40 receptions for 513 yards and four TDs. His 17 receptions for 224 yards and one TD against USC will be remembered for a long while. Grade: A+. Offensive linemen: After losing three starters to the NFL, the guys up front have performed very well. The Lions are third in the Big Ten in total offense and rushing, fourth in scoring and tied for second in sacks allowed. Left guard Vega Ioane has been dominant at times as Penn State has established a physical style of play. Grade: B+. Offense: Under new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, the Lions have forced defenses to react to what they’re doing. They’ve gained at least 450 total yards four times and have scored at least 33 points four times. They rank 14th nationally in total offense and seventh in pass efficiency. Grade: A-. Defensive linemen: Until USC’s Woody Marks rushed for 111 yards, Penn State had been stingy against the run. The Lions are pressuring quarterbacks, but they’re not sacking them as frequently as usual. Abdul Carter and Zane Durant are having seasons worthy of being on the All-Big Ten first team. Grade: A-. Linebackers: Kobe King has been effective against the run and has 30 tackles, second on the team. Tony Rojas has been steady alongside King in Penn State’s 4-2-5 scheme. Dominic DeLuca, Ta’Mere Robinson and DaKaari Nelson have shown flashes. Grade: B. Secondary: This might be the deepest secondary the Lions have had in a very long time. The Lions have responded well after losing premier safety KJ Winston to a “long-term” injury. Safety Jaylen Reed is playing at an all-conference level, leading the team in tackles and making a difference. Grade: A. Defense: New coordinator Tom Allen has made brilliant halftime adjustments, as evidenced by Penn State holding opponents to 27 points in the second half. The Lions rank eighth nationally in total defense and ninth in points allowed, but they need to improve upon their eight takeaways the rest of the way. Grade: A-. Special teams:  Ryan Barker has made all six of his field goal attempts and all eight of his PAT tries since taking over the kicking job from Sander Sahaydak. Riley Thompson has been steady at punting and has limited opponents to no return yards on one try. Penn State has received little from the return game, whether it’s kickoffs or punts. Grade: C+. Coaching: With three new coordinators, James Franklin has led Penn State to its second straight 6-0 start and excellent position to make the College Football Playoff. The Lions’ comeback from a 14-point deficit against USC gave Franklin one of the best road wins of his tenure. His decisions to bring in Kotelnicki as offensive coordinator and to change kickers before the biggest four-game stretch of the season are paying off. Grade: A.