At least Northwestern can’t lose.
Northwestern has the week off but college football fans definitely do not. With Big Ten play officially in full swing, you might find yourself conflicted on who to root for. Even with the ‘Cats tough loss last week at Washington, it’s still early enough in the season where Wildcat fans can hold out hope that there is a chance at making the Big Ten Championship (or alternatively hope to not finish last). I don’t think finishing in the top two of the conference is very realistic for Northwestern so I will base my suggestions on what would give Northwestern a realistic chance at finishing higher in the Big Ten standings.
Minnesota at No. 12 Michigan, 11:00 a.m. CST
If wanting to watch an upset is your thing, the Golden Gophers seem like the obvious choice here but probably not the best rooting interest for a Northwestern fan. While Michigan isn’t the same team as last year, the Wolverines still pose a legitimate threat to win the Big Ten, especially after last week’s win over USC. Northwestern heads to Ann Arbor later this season and could benefit from the Wolverines having a better resume if the ‘Cats were somehow able to pull off the upset. A Minnesota loss would help move the Wildcats ahead of the Golden Gophers in the standings and their resume doesn’t matter to Northwestern since the two teams don’t play each other. Root for Michigan in a game that shouldn’t be very close.
Maryland at Indiana, 11:00 a.m. CST
This one is tricky. Northwestern plays both of these teams this season and could benefit from both having improved resumes. Indiana is currently 1-0 in Big Ten play while Maryland is 0-1. The rooting interest in this game depends on how optimistic of Northwestern’s season you are. If you are feeling pessimistic, root for Indiana so that Maryland gets pushed further down and the ‘Cats can hopefully finish ahead of them. If you think the ‘Cats can turn things around, root for Maryland so the Wildcats have a better chance of pulling ahead of the Hoosiers.
Nebraska at Purdue 11:00 a.m. CST
The ‘Cats face off against Purdue later this season and don’t have a matchup against the Cornhuskers. Nebraska also already enters this game with a Big Ten loss. A Purdue victory would improve its resume and help Northwestern if the Wildcats could pull out the win in West Lafayette when the two teams face off. A Nebraska loss would also push it lower down the Big Ten standings, giving the ‘Cats a better chance of finishing ahead of the ‘Huskers. Go Boilermakers.
Wisconsin at No. 13 USC 2:30 p.m. CST
This feels very similar to the Nebraska-Purdue game in the fact that Northwestern only faces one of the teams (Wisconsin) and USC is 0-1 in Big Ten play so the same logic would say to root for Wisconsin. However, this one feels different. USC is too good of a team and faces a weak remaining schedule so I don’t see the ‘Cats beating the Trojans out in the standings. Root for the Trojans to knock off the Badgers so Wisconsin starts out Big Ten play with a loss and improve Northwestern’s chances of finishing ahead of Luke Fickell’s squad.
No. 3 Ohio State at Michigan State 6:00 p.m. CST
Ohio State is a national title contender. Michigan State lost to Boston College. This game will not be close. On one hand, you could root for Ohio State to win and hurt the Spartans in the standings. On the other hand, a top-three upset would be really fun to watch. Personally, I’m going to pull for the upset but it also makes sense if you want to root for Ohio State’s resume to be blemishless before clashing with the Wildcats in November.
No. 19 Illinois at Penn State 6:30 p.m. CST
This one is easy. Root against Illinois. Why? It’s Illinois. Go Nittany Lions.
No. 8 Oregon at UCLA 10:00 pm CST
Oregon is the No. 8 team in the country while UCLA has struggled a lot this season. This game feels like it should be a blowout and UCLA could very well finish at the bottom of the conference. Root for the Ducks so Northwestern has less of a chance of finishing in last place.