Ryan Dunleavy

@rydunleavy

When the season started%2C Rutgers had questions at quarterback%2C on defense and on the sidelines.

Rutgers is off to a 5-1 start and the answers to those preseason questions mostly are positive.

Rutgers is still one win away from bowl eligibility%2C first up on the program's annual list of goals.

The second-half schedule is much tougher and Rutgers struggled in the second half in 2012 and 2013.

PISCATAWAY – Remember when Rutgers football had a shaky quarterback, a porous defense and a head coach in limbo?

It only was seven weeks ago.

But Rutgers is one of the surprise stories in college football at the midway point, winning five of its first six games behind a well-balanced offense, timely defense and dominating special teams. And it kept focus on the field by giving coach Kyle Flood a two-year contract extension in early September.

"We have an expectation level that's pretty high here and a system of goals that are (at) a lot of levels," Flood said. "The first one is to get that sixth (win) so you're eligible for a bowl, but it's not something we focus on. We've only played half the season. We've got a lot of work still to do."

With that in mind, here is our look back at three preseason questions facing Rutgers and a new set of three for the second half of the season:

Answering 3 Preseason Questions:

Is Rutgers ready for the Big Ten? The jury is still out but early polling reveals an emphatic yes. Rutgers earned its first conference victory against Michigan – the winningest college football program of all-time – and gave its fans a chance to storm the field. The moment came three weeks later than it probably should have as Rutgers let a win against rival Penn State slip away in the final three minutes. Rutgers also is one of two Big Ten schools with two non-conference road wins – and the only one to do so as an underdog both times. The only reason to abstain is to see how Rutgers fares with the gauntlet ahead.

Can Gary Nova win the "quarterback battle" in a rout? Nova won the starting job going away during training camp but had critics calling for his benching after throwing five interceptions in a Week 3 loss to Penn State. Unlike in the past, Nova didn't one bad performance fester. Instead he has completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 846 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception during a three-game winning streak. For his career-best performance against Michigan, he was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week – and earned the right not to have his every job security come up after his next ineffective performance. This is not a rebuilding, break-in-a-new-quarterback type of season.

How much better is the defense? Judging by the rankings entering Saturday, the defense is slightly better. Rutgers is ranked significantly higher in passing and scoring defense but significantly lower in rushing defense, equating to the No. 69-ranked total defense, four spots higher than last season. But rankings don't tell the whole story, especially given that Rutgers already has faced – and beaten – the nation's top passing offense (Washington State) and top rushing offense (Navy). In truth, Rutgers is significantly better on defense as it ranks third in the nation with 24 sacks and has made stands in the final minutes of fourth quarters to protect one-score leads in three of its wins.

Asking 3 Second-half Questions:

Will this second half be different than the last two? In Flood's first two years at the helm, Rutgers has gone 10-2 in the first half of the season and 5-9 in the second half plus bowl games. What makes this year different? New leaders, new assistant coaches. Is it enough to make a difference? That remains to be seen. Rutgers' second-half woes have coincided with the struggles of Nova, who is red-hot right now. But Rutgers will face five of the top 50 rushing defenses in the country over the final six games and will do so without starter Paul James. Desmon Peoples and Justin Goodwin are averaging 2.7 yards per carry through two conference games and Rutgers won't survive much longer being as one-dimensional as it was against Michigan.

Can Rutgers steal a game from Ohio State, Nebraska, Wisconsin or Michigan State? Objective minds penciled in all four of these games as losses when the season began. Then Ohio State lost Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterback Braxton Miller to injury and was upset by Virginia Tech. Then Nebraska needed a late rally to beat McNeese State and Wisconsin lost to Northwestern. Rutgers has never seen anything like it will in a eight-day span playing in front of about 200,000 total fans at Ohio State, which has cleaned up its act around rising star J.T. Barrett, and at Nebraska. Michigan State proved it's still the class of the league by out-toughing Nebraska. But circle Nov. 1 on the calendar. Plagued by quarterback problems, Wisconsin is a favorable matchup for Rutgers if it can get past its recent Homecoming follies.

Would you rather spend Christmas in Detroit, Dallas, New York or San Diego? Rutgers is one win away from bowl eligibility – not a guarantee to happen, though it likely must if Flood's two-year extension is going to hold up – and the Big Ten has 10 bowl tie-ins. Most experts are pegging Rutgers for the Dec. 26 Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit against an ACC opponent or the Dec. 26 Heart of Dallas Bowl against a Conference USA opponent. The latter option is not exactly the improved bowl destination the Big Ten is supposed to offer over the old Big East/American Athletic Conference but it might be more appealing than a third trip in four years to the Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27). The Dec. 27 Holiday Bowl against the Pac-12 might be the premier postseason game in program history but it also could be a stretch unless Rutgers reaches eight wins.

Staff Writer Ryan Dunleavy: rdunleav@gannett.com