Another week gone by, and another win for the ‘Cats. This one was ugly, as Northwestern slid by Purdon’t on a late TD. It’s never pretty, and it’s rarely easy, but the ‘Cats have now racked up eight wins and are ranked #20 in the country. Sometimes you just have to take a step back, think about how bad we thought the ‘Cats would be before the year began, and just enjoy the moment. It’s a good time to be a Northwestern fan.
Speaking of our ‘Cats, they sit at #5 in the WLW power rankings this week, just behind our next opponent, Wisconsin. The ‘Cats are currently 10.5 point underdogs in Madison, so basically no one thinks we have a chance. Let’s hope that the betting public is wrong, and that Northwestern has a better trip to Madtown then the last one – a 31-6 beatdown. The Warriors attended that game in person, and a member of the crew may or may not have faced police arrest after a taxi ride gone awry, adding insult to injury. All in all, bad memories – but let’s hope Saturday proves a reversal of fortune.
Elsewhere in the B1G, Michigan played a 2OT classic with Indiana, pulling out a 48-41 victory. The Wolverines came extremely close to losing last week, and a few weeks ago against Minnesota as well. But now they are looming large at #12 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and a chance to jump higher with quality games against PSU, OSU and potentially Iowa to come. Don’t sleep on Michigan jumping a bunch of teams and sneaking into the top 4 once it’s all said and done.
And then there’s Ohio State. The Buckeyes seem to be finding their stride at the right time after a 28-3 beatdown of the Illini. OSU hosts Michigan State come Saturday, which is essentially a playoff game for both teams. A win means your national championship hopes are very much alive, and a loss means you’re probably going to the Peach Bowl. Vegas somehow made Michigan State 13 point underdogs, which is among the worst lines I’ve seen all year. Yes Connor Cook is banged up, and yes Ohio State beat up the Spartans in East Lansing last year, but no way I see Michigan State getting blown out here. This is a team that will go down swinging, and I see a very tight game on Saturday. My motto is: Don’t put Mark Dantonio in a corner.
Lastly, can we pour one out for Minnesota and Indiana? Both of these times have gone toe-to-toe with the top teams in the conference, and come about as close to winning as possible without actually doing so.
Ok, one more edition of Trent’s Top Fours:
Top Four Chicago El Lines
- Purple
- Brown
- Blue
- Red
Top Four 90’s Nickelodeon Shows
- Pete and Pete
- Rocko’s Modern Life
- Salute Your Shorts
- Rugrats
Top Four Spice Girls
- Baby
- Posh
- Sporty
- Scary
Top Four CFB Teams
- Ohio State
- Clemson
- Iowa
- Oklahoma State
Ok onto the actual power rankings…
| Team | Points |
|---|---|
| 1. Ohio State (7) | 98 |
| 2. Iowa | 90 |
| 3. Michigan State | 83 |
| 4. Michigan | 78 |
| 5. Wisconsin | 71 |
| 6. Northwestern | 64 |
| 7. Penn State | 52 |
| 8. Minnesota | 43 |
| 9. Nebraska | 42 |
| 10. Indiana | 41 |
| 11. Illannoy | 30 |
| 12. Rutgers | 19 |
| 13. Purdon’t | 13 |
| 14. Maryland | 12 |
