Northwestern turns focus to Big Ten title as conference play starts

But it was not clear if he will play against Northwestern. As Big Ten conference play gears up this weekend, the Wildcats are focused on a conference title.

Northwestern, 4-12 in conference games over the past two seasons, wasn’t supposed to be a contender.

After early tests against Stanford at home and Duke on the road, Minnesota shouldn’t be the most hard opponent Northwestern has faced.

Will Northwestern earn it’s fifth win of the season as it eyes a move up in the rankings?

That was the first of seven straight losses for the Wildcats.

There’s only one game to pick from Saturday night as #22 Michigan heads to Maryland for a 7 p.m. central kick on Big Ten Network.

Only Rutgers is off this week as the Big Ten standings will finally see a few movement. “It wouldn’t shock me at all”. This year’s Wildcats are playing just like their coach. They play physical. They’re very athletic.

Wisconsin’s rushing concerns have grown with the heir apparent at running back, Corey Clement, now sidelined for a month or more with a sports hernia.

Keep a close eye on Nebraska at Illinois.

Like Ferentz and Fitgerald before him, Gophers coach Jerry Kill was equally deferential on his prognosis of the West. Meanwhile, Nebraska’s defense has had a lot of issues so far this season. Justin Jackson ranks second in the Big Ten with 516 rushing yards. 2 TCU. But it hasn’t been easy for the Golden Gophers. I’ve been a fan here since, forever.

Northwestern is 20-2 in September games since 2010, but the Wildcats have faded every year during this stretch, except 2012, when they went 10-3.

The Big Ten coaches selected Michigan as the preseason favorite to win the six-team league, followed by Minnesota, Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State and Wisconsin. His pass efficiency rating of 146.8 ranks 42nd nationally.

Wisconsin’s Joel Stave has a much-improved arm; he’s 72-of-109 passing for 830 yards. The game was previously scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Their lockdown defense has helped freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson get acclimated.

In other words, expect the unexpected over the next nine weeks. “They’re tough. They’ve got a great idea of what they’re doing in all three phases schematically”. I think the big thing for us was coming out over. After that, you never know what’s going to happen.