Weekend Reflections: Dec. 17-19

• Okay, so this one really isn't about the weekend, but it's clear that the 'Cats are getting excited about their own play. Everyone's just out enjoying the game, giving chest bumps, pounding away when a great play (like a dunk) happens. I just love watching this team play. 

• Purdue suddenly looks like a very beatable team. I originally believed that a road win against the Boilermakers would be a very Herculean task, but now-- not so much. Sure, they're back to their winning ways, but who have they beaten? So far, the only scorers are E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson. No one else. Zip, zilch, nada. I bet if we manage to shut down JaJuan in particular, we have a real good chance of taking home a quality win on the road.

• Illinois has a few chinks in the armor.  Okay, okay, I'll admit, their jump-shooting just looked uncharacteristically awful against UIC on Saturday, but still. They were having a hard time getting past the Flames' 1-3-1 defense. And we run it better! Now the only thing we need to figure out is how to break the full-court press...

• I'm stoked about the 'Cats playing back-to-back games tonight and tomorrow, except for the fact that they're not on standard digital cable... at least, not here. $&@#*%^ Comcast. Someone keep me posted!

Quick Hits: Bracketology Edition

Hey all, with about five weeks of basketball play in the books, a lot of NCAA Tournament brackets are being updated, and I've been very interested to see what everyone's projecting for the Wildcats as of right now:

• ESPN's Joe Lunardi updated his bracket yesterday (12/14), and in both his preseason bracket and this bracket, he has us listed as a #12 seed. This is interesting news, to say the least-- when the media started hyping the prospect of us making last year's tournament, Lunardi continued leaving us off of his bracket. Perhaps this is a sign of things to come? Also noteworthy: he has the 'Cats automatically in the field of 64 instead of running a play-in game.

• Fellow blogger Bracketology 101 is even a little more optimistic. His Dec. 13 bracket has us as an 11th seed, along with the likes of UCF, Cleveland State and Virginia (who has a resume win against Minnesota). Also of note: We would play That School in South Bend in the opening round.

• The home of Wildcat blogger Sippin on Purple, SBNation also has NU placed as an 11 seed. What's troubling, though, is the dropping of Michigan State to a 6 seed(!) and Purdue to an 8 seed.

• Although not in the form of a bracket, Bleacher Report places the 'Cats as an 11 seed. North Carolina State also makes an appearance here as an 11, despite the fact that they got absolutely crushed by Wisconsin in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

• The Hoops Report puts a slight on the 'Cats, leaving them off the bracket altogether. Moreover, we're not even in the First Four Out. This bracket is very interesting, as it's one of the few brackets that features only 6 Big Ten teams in the tournament.

RPI Watch, December 14th: Surviving Finals

I'm running one day late on my weekly RPI watch, thanks to the presence of finals that have been hitting me like a ton of bricks for the past week and will continue through this week. (I'm currently a grad student at the University of Illinois, so my finals are running a week later than NU's.) I just turned in a group project this morning, so now I can break to give you the latest updates!

Although I may be feeling a little sluggish, our men's basketball team isn't! They woke up from a short hoops hibernation to knock off Long Island, 81-65 last night.

Looking at the polls, the 'Cats remain stagnant due to their inactivity last week, remaining tied for 31st in the Coaches' Poll with 15 points. The 25th-ranked team, Texas, only has 41 points, so a continued undefeated run may push the team into the Top 25 before our last non-conference game. The AP Poll hasn't been quite so nice, dropping the 'Cats back into a three-way tie for 36th with Washington State and Cincinnati, each with 5 points.

It's that time... time to check the RPI.

Blackbird Screeching: 'Cats Down LIU, 81-65

Another day, another home win for our beloved men's basketball team. After a 13-day layoff that included most of reading week and finals, the 'Cats went out and handled an undersized but athletic squad in Long Island. The game was really never in doubt, as the worst part probably consisted of hearing the nagging voices of native LI-ers about how their team needs to be more physical. To be quite honest, these games are turning into quite the ho-hum affairs -- something we really couldn't say five years ago. It's heartening to see this team refuse to drag its heels after taking such a long break away from the game. Perhaps it's a sign that they might get off the bus swinging for their road tilts in conference play.

With the win today, the 'Cats move up to 77th place in today's RPI rankings, due in large part to the boost in strength of schedule. The same cannot be said for KenPom, however, as the 'Cats pretty much stay in place at 52nd. For the Four Factors breakdown of the game, I suggest hitting up Sippin' on Purple for the juicy details.

Quick Hit: Men's Basketball SoS Takes Another Hit

I had the opportunity displeasure of watching some non-conference action tonight, and what I saw didn't look too good. Here's a quick recap:

-Georgia Tech lost to Georgia at home. This was a game that the Yellow Jackets should have won, as they led through most of the 40 minutes and had momentum going into the last two. Then they let G Dustin Ware loose for the umpteenth time, and he made them pay with a late 3 that would decide the game, 73-72. In the short run, this game will boost Tech's SoS, but their RPI could have improved vastly with a win here. Instead, they just look like a mediocre team.

-St. John's was upset by St. Bonaventure, 67-66, at home. Ugh. What looked like a promising RPI boost might now be destined to be a no-help win (provided we play them and provided we win, of course). Bonaventure might be good in the RPI right now, but KenPom tells a much different tale: they had the Bonnies ranked 162nd going into this game.

-Michigan State hurts the conference RPI by failing to beat another Top 10 team on the road, this time against Syracuse. I know that Izzo's team is rarely a "great" team early in the season, but would it hurt to have a big signature win before conference play started? (That said, I'm really glad we play them at home early on in January.)

-Mount St. Mary's lost to Penn State... oh, wait, we play both of these teams, and we play Penn State twice. Nevermind.

I'll be interested to see where we end up in the RPI as of tomorrow. We're trending downward and could see ourselves back in the triple-digits if play doesn't improve.

RPI Watch, December 6th: Blue Moon

Blue moon,
You saw me standing alone,
Without a dream in my heart,
Without a love of my own.
-"Blue Moon", Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart 

Who loves the Big Ten/ACC Challenge? I love the Big Ten/ACC Challenge! The annual inter-conference event gave many teams an early chance to look good in the eyes of NCAA voters. Some of our teams made the absolute most of it (Wisconsin) while others fell flat on their faces (Minnesota). Even though the Big Ten won the challenge, the conference's overall RPI took a hit due to former opposition losing a host of bad games.

Thanks to everyone who voted in the BT/ACC Challenge poll! The majority were correct this year, as 60% of you said that the Big Ten would win by the slimmest of margins. 40% of you expected the ACC to win, 6 to 5.

One team that benefitted from its win was our beloved 'Cats, who delivered a 91-71 shellacking to Georgia Tech at home. As Georgia Tech is considered to be a bubble NCAA team early on in the season, this win may bode well for us. It's definitely turned some heads, as NU has garnered more poll votes: They now sit at 31st in the Coaches' Poll with 9 points, good enough to be tied with Arizona, just behind Wisconsin and North Carolina and ahead of former heavyweight Gonzaga, which lost to Illinois over the weekend. They've also obtained votes in the AP, tied at 34th with Cincinnati, garnering 6 points. Now here I go rambling again! Let's cut to the chase and look at the RPI, shall we?

Men's Basketball Non-Conference Opponent Update: December 2

What a great week in college basketball! The Big Ten rises up to the challenge and takes home the Big Ten/ACC Challenge crown by a score of 6 to 5. That victory continues to provide the perception that the Big Ten is the best conference in the land, something that we'll be banking on come tournament selection time. More importantly, the 'Cats drubbed Georgia Tech in what was probably one of the best clinics in downtown shooting that I've seen in my life. Imagine if they did that for 25-30 minutes against the likes of Michigan State! I'm starting to feel a lot more optimistic about our tournament chances with each passing game.

That said, it's been almost two weeks since we last looked in at our non-conference opponents. Let's see how they're doing and how they're hurting helping the 'ole RPI, huh?

Big Ten Takes 4-2 Lead in Challenge, Led by NU's Thrashing of Georgia Tech

Whoo, what a ride! A couple of unexpected outcomes have pushed our conference ahead in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, with a score of 4 to 2. For those of you just tuning in, the conferences face off in 11 games which means that six wins will give the conference bragging rights for the remainder of the season (until, of course, Duke goes ahead and chops everyone down in the NCAA). I've been able to watch most of these games and have been excited and concerned about what I've seen -- excited because the Big Ten looks good, and concerned because the Big Ten looks good.

That said, NU's solid performance over Georgia Tech in the home tilt gives me a lot of optimism as the season progresses. Jump inside and I'll explain how we got to where we are:

Big Ten / ACC Challenge Predictions!

Tonight begins the greatest inter-conference rivalry in all of college sports, the Big Ten / ACC Challenge (somehow not sponsored by Rotel). This three-day orgy of college hoops sets the tone for the remainder of the season and provides bragging rights to the winning conference, as well as a couple of resume games. Last season saw the Big Ten finally win its first Challenge, aided by Wisconsin's upset against Duke on the road. And who can forget that ridiculous come-from-behind victory that Illinois had against Clemson? (As soon as they tied up the game, I knew they would win that one.) The Big Ten now boasts a 1-10 record in the Challenge, and I for one hope that they make it 2-10 this year.

This challenge is very important for the 'Cats, as a win by the conference solidifies its legitimacy as the best and deepest conference in the NCAA this year. A win for the 'Cats against Georgia Tech will certainly provide a minor boost to the ol' RPI, something that'll be suffering due to the lack of good non-conference games scheduled this season.

This post will take a look at each game individually, and I'll predict the winner of each one. Hop inside to take a look!

RPI Watch, November 29th: Or, Why the RPI Sucks This Early

The college basketball season has been underway the past few weeks, and I for one am happy to see its arrival. The football season for the Wildcats realistically ended with Dan Persa's demise after the Iowa game, and the Big Ten season is now officially over with only the bowl games in sight (and oh yeah, that one non-con that Illinois has against Fresno State). After drubbings against Illinois at Wrigley and in Camp Randall against Wisconsin, the 'Cats go limping into the bowl selection wait, presumably to punch a ticket to Dallas as part of the TicketCity Bowl.

That said, it's time to start talking men's basketball. The Wildcats came back from their turkey hangover by fighting to a 65-52 home victory over Creighton last night. The win puts the 'Cats at 4-0, a record that has not been matched by a men's team since the 1993-94 season, when it started the season 9-0. Unfortunately, that team from 17 seasons ago would go on to lose its next 7 games and finish the season 15-12.  We hope to be riding this wave of early success into the Big Ten season and, furthermore, into the NCAA Tournament for the very first time.

This regular series will take a look at the RPI rankings of each of the Big Ten teams. As much as people much prefer to use Pomeroy to judge a team's rank, the pundits at ESPN and the NCAA selection committee still use the RPI system as a resume tool for each basketball team. It sucks, but that's what I get to work with. I'll try to update this ranking every Monday, something akin to the Momentum Game (except I don't bother ranking the teams myself).

Jump inside to see how everyone's doing!

Men's Basketball Non-Conference Opponent Update: November 20

The basketball season is finally underway! Whoo! Northwestern has opened the season 3-0 with back-to-back ugly road wins against NIU and UT Pan-American. They continued that trek with a dominant performance against an outmanned Golden Lions squad from Arkansas-Pine Bluff. So far, so good. But there are still seven more games remaining in the non-conference schedule (not including a game against SIU-Edwardsville in late January) before we kick off Big Ten season, and we need every win possible.

Below, I've updated the status of every team that NU has faced/will be facing in November and December. We need these opponents to win as much as possible in order to bolster our RPI resume for the Big Dance. Of course, we don't want them to win against us, right?

Wrigleyville Classic Reduced to One-Directional Game

Big news on the day before the Wrigleyville Classic, as a last-second change suddenly makes the NU-Illinois game much tougher logistically. This article by Chicago Tribune beat writer Teddy Greenstein details the issues regarding the east end zone and its use. As a result, both teams will be going west when playing offense.

This change is brought upon due to the fact that the NCAA called and informed the Big Ten and the NU athletic department that the field dimensions were in violation of their Football Rules and Regulations. I've hunted down the handbook, and you can read the diagrams of the field here. Scroll down to the bottom of page FR-18 and you'll see a diagram outlining that the "limit lines" of the field are established 12 feet away from the boundaries of play. A wall within about two feet from the endzone lines is kind of in the way of the limit lines, isn't it?

Needless to say, season ticket holders and other fans are irate about this last-minute change, because most of the "exciting" play is tilted toward the west half of the field. Anyone on the east side will be straining their eyes more than they expected in order to watch the game. And there are a lot of people who shoulder the blame for this decision. The NU athletics department and the Cubs management are primarily at fault, because they were the ones in charge of working out the field logistics in order to make this game work. However, both the Big Ten and the NCAA are also at fault here. The Big Ten is there to make sure that all events are in compliance with NCAA rules, so if they missed this rule, shame on them.

The NCAA is also to blame here, because they are the authority for field dimensions. As the governing body of major college sports, they establish the rules for how the game is played, and more importantly, what variations are allowed. I can't imagine that the NCAA didn't have to sign off on the field logistics a while ago when the NU-Wrigley agreement was being hammered out. If they simply missed this field rule until the very last second, then they need to shoulder the blame for not providing ample oversight of the rules they created. Now, if they signed off on a variance for the field for this game, saying that the close proximity to the wall is admissible, there is a much bigger issue at hand. It's not alright to say something's OK, and then come back the day before the event and suddenly say it's not OK.

My point is, there is a lot of blame going around the Northwestern blogosphere regarding this major logistical SNAFU, and most of it is pointed at the NU Athletics Office. I think that we need to remember that there are quite a few parties involved in making this game happen, and they all have responsibility for this problem.

NU Week 12 Rooting Interests: The Bowl Selection Day Cometh

I'm sure that there were a few people who were wondering, before last weekend, if Northwestern was going to be damned to the Little Caesar's Bowl in Detroit. Pessimists within the fan base suggested after the collapse at Penn State that the 'Cats would finish 6-6 and get passed by the likes of the Illini and the Nittany Lions. Luckily, we got two very nice gifts. The obvious one is that we won our 7th game of the season by upsetting Iowa, taking us off the track from the "Pizza! Pizza!" Bowl and somewhere a little bit... warmer. The other is the unexpected demise of Illinois at the hands of Minnesota this past weekend. A win against the Illini on Saturday guarantees that they will not jump us in the bowl standings, as they could only have a 6-6 record at best.

Big Ten blog Off-Tackle Empire now projects NU to attend the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas, to face Texas Tech. However, blog author Bama Hawkeye says this under the guise that Northwestern loses their last two games and gets jumped by Penn State and Illinois. (They predict Michigan to finish 8-4.)

Mark Schlabach and Andrea Adelson from ESPN are divided this week. Schlabach has us going up against Kansas State in the Texas Bowl. Andrea's hopes are more muted, however, as she agrees with Off-Tackle Empire and the TicketCity Bowl. Both sports pundits assume the Big Ten lands two BCS bids.

Northwestern blog Hail to Purple takes more of the middle ground regarding the 'Cats bowl prospects. In its projection, we have just about an even likelihood of being in either the TicketCity Bowl (named here as the Dallas Football Classic) or the Texas Bowl.

Because of the three-way tie at the top of the Big Ten standings, there is no statistical possibility that we could make the Capital One bowl this year. However, with a lot of help and some logistical pandering, we could see the Outback Bowl for a second straight season. That said, winning out would realistically give us the Gator Bowl at best. So who do we root for this week? We want...

The Momentum Game, Week 12: Finding the Home Stretch

With the excitement of NU's win over Io_a still resonating in the hearts and minds of Wildcat fans, we start to take a look at bowl positions and what we need to do in order to get there. In the next day or so I'll post my next round of Rooting Interests, tying it into what our bowl prospects are heading into Selection Sunday.

I once again took a week off from posting, due to impending projects and midterms I needed to get finished. Luckily, with a full week of break time, I don't think I'll be swamped with work for the rest of the football season. Now watch as I end up eating those words two weeks from now. For those of you who need reminders, the rules I follow for this "ranking" list can be found here.

Accompanied by a roundhouse kick to the face, here are this week's participants in The Momentum Game:

NU 21, Io_a 17: Wildcats Steal W, Secure 3rd-Straight Bowl Berth

WOW. That's about all I can say at this point. After showing little life in the second halves of recent games, I was grateful for the ending that Dan Persa and the 'Cat defense gave us to end the "home" season at Ryan Field. I tip my hat to all of the seniors, most of whom have made the journey for 4-5 years with Coach Fitz and have helped make this such a solid and exciting football team to watch every week (well, almost every week).

Unfortunately, as many of you know, Persa is officially out for the remainder of the season after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon on the go-ahead TD play. It was a spectacular way to go out, for sure, but we will certainly miss him for our last three(!) games in the season. For now, the offense rests on the rather large shoulders of backup QB Evan Watkins, whom I'm sure is salivating at this opportunity to make his first collegiate start at Wrigley Field. At least, that's how it is according to his Twitter feed.

Team	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	Final
IOWA	0	3	14	0	17
NU	7	0	0	14	21

My High-Fives and Scratches, coming up after the jump:

Northwestern Men's Basketball Non-Conference Preview

Today marks another important day in the annals of Northwestern Athletics. Today begins our run for our first-ever NCAA Tournament berth under the newly-"expanded" 68-team bracket. Those of you that have watched over recent years know that this team, under Coach Bill Carmody, has finally obtained the talent to make the Big Dance. Unfortunately, injuries and other issues (such as playing something that resembles defense) have prevented us from qualifying the last two years. Many of you might remember the lickings we took against Iowa and Penn State, the two teams that most likely cost us our tournament berth last year.

This year, however, we hope to change that trend. The team had an opportunity to travel and play European basketball (slightly different rules) overseas, and we all hope that that practice time will transfer to the hardwood for this season. We'll possibly get a glimpse of that as the season kicks off tonight on the road against Northern Illinois. For a preview on the team itself, check out Loretta8's post at fellow Northwestern blog Sippin' on Purple.

Northwestern's nonconference schedule this season is, well, soft. In a tough and very deep Big Ten, we are not doing ourselves any favors to the RPI by scheduling such easy games. A more detailed look after the jump:

Quick Hits: Review of PSU-NU Game, Looking Ahead

Some thoughts from the past week:

• First things first: Congratulations to JoePa for getting career victory #400. I hate the fact that it had to come against us, but it's a testament to both his longevity and his ability to put a quality team on the field, year-in and year-out. The Nittany Lions will really miss you when you decide to leave.

• In the abbreviated poll from last week on QB Evan Watkins' playing time, we saw a 50-50 split. Half of the voters believed he would get no playing time while the other half thought he would spell Dan Persa for a series or two. As it turned out, Watkins ended up warming the bench, although perhaps he could have contributed to warming up an ice-cold offense in the second half.

NU Week 10 Rooting Interests

Friends, it's the time of year when we start looking at bowl placements in the Big Ten conference. While our Wildcats still have a shot at winning a share of the Big Ten title, the odds are getting quite slim at this point and we're going to need some help in order to make the Rose Bowl. Judging from our record and remaining schedule, we're currently being placed in a low-tier bowl. Let's not settle for that, mmkay?

Big Ten blog Off-Tackle Empire has NU going to the Texas Bowl, which is fine and dandy, except they assume that Michigan will be stuck behind us (true, if we go 7-5 and Michigan goes 6-6) and that two Big Ten teams will make the BCS bowls (less likely).
ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Andrea Adelson both have us going to the Texas Bowl.
Fellow Northwestern blogger Hail to Purple has the 'Cats most likely to enter the Dallas Football Classic. The second most like destination is --once again-- the Texas Bowl.

From what I can tell, most of these projections assume a 7-5 record (more or less). We obviously have control over these last four games, but how can the other Big Ten teams help us this week? Let's take a closer look after the jump. We want...

The Momentum Game, Week 10: Bowl Watching Begins

Last week I conjectured about if Oregon would be upset at USC last weekend. As it turned out, that was far from being the case. I think Chip Kelly has really hit on something with his super-high-tempo offense that gets defenses completely winded by the 2nd quarter. With their schedule, I bet they win out and lock their position at the top of the BCS. Now, no slight to Auburn, but I just don't see them beating Alabama at the end of the year, which means someone will supplant them at #2. Toss-up among Alabama, Boise State and the winner of the TCU-Utah game this weekend -- pick one and you'll probably be right.

I've looked at the slate for this week's games, and I must say it's sad that the Northwestern-Penn State battle this weekend is the most interesting game in the Big Ten, BY FAR. I fully expect Michigan to drop yet another game (this time to Illinois) on the heels of their defense, currently being played by 11 replicas of Venus De Milo. But now I'm just wasting comment space that could  go into The Momentum Game. Silly me!

While fighting football indigestion, here are this week's participants in The Momentum Game:

Weekly Poll: Evan Watkins' Playing Time

While it's been openly said by Coach Fitz that Dan Persa will be starting on Saturday, I'm not one to take concussions lightly. Persa still needs to be cleared by doctors sometime tomorrow -- otherwise he will have to sit out the entire game and backup Evan Watkins will be the starter. My understanding is that first-team snaps have been split closer to 50/50 than most weeks, which begs the question:

How many series will Evan Watkins see this week?

As a reminder, a series is defined as a possession where the QB is able to take a snap. So if a possession ends in a turnover or touchdown by the defense or special teams, it's not a series.

As mentioned in my last post, I fully expect Persa to clear the doc's exam and start on Saturday. But will we really have him running the offense the entire game? My guess is... probably not. I foresee that Watkins will get at least a few snaps (and perhaps an extended drive) against Penn State on Saturday. Let me hear what you think at the poll on the upper-left side of the blog! Will Watkins play at all? Will he be allowed to throw the ball? Do you think he'll have a touchdown drive? Let me hear about it in the Comments section below!

'Cats Hobble to 6-2 and Bowl Eligibility, Persa Considered OK for Penn State

In a much more tightly contested game than expected, our Wildcats managed to eke out a close win and get away from Bloomington as fast as possible. We survived a scare early in the 4th quarter as QB Dan Persa was knocked out with an apparent head injury. On Monday it was deemed a concussion, but thankfully, he should be going full speed against Penn State and the Nittany Lions this upcoming Saturday. IMHO, I do think Evan Watkins will spell him for a couple of drives, just to be on the safe side.

Team	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	Final
NU	0	10	7	3	20
IND	3	7	0	7	17

Quick thoughts about the game after the jump:

The Momentum Game, Week 9: Before the Panic Button

Not really sure what to say about the BCS. I think that regardless of what Boise State does, there will always be a team waiting in the wings to jump them. They might yet have hope if Nevada continues to win, however. Look for the upset special against Auburn and Oregon, the top two teams in the BCS. Okay, maybe just Oregon. Auburn is playing hapless Ole Miss this week.

Meanwhile, a minor upset and a big beatdown shake up things for this week, but that's about it. With no more rambling from me, here are this week's participants in the Momentum Game:

Thoughts From Last Week: Persa Needs Help

I've spent most of this week thinking about what this team needs in order to make it over the hump for the rest of the season. I can't really say that our team made any costly moves that killed our chances against Michigan State, aside perhaps for that fumble in the red zone during the first half. We ended up being bested by the better team, and although I wish we would have won, I can settle for the effort that was made on the field. But I do have some other concerns that I'd like to share. Hop inside and I'll impart them...

The Momentum Game, Week 8: Two Weeks Later

Since I didn't post last week, I'm sure you'll see a lot more moving around in the Momentum game. Much of the college football world has been shaken up, including Alabama's loss to South Carolina, Nebraska's first loss of the season, and LSU's unwillingness to just up and die for a game. Les Miles, why do you torture me so?



Of course, we need to talk Big Ten here. That said, here are our competitors in this week's Momentum Game:

Starting Up Again: Everyone Gets a Mulligan

I had visions, I was in them / I was looking into the mirror / To see a little bit clearer / The rottenness and evil in me.






Alright, I need to fess up and apologize for the lack of updating the past two weeks. I ran into some time where I really needed to catch up on classwork, because I was starting to turn into a bad student. Funny how that happens when one's doing umpteen things aside from classwork, huh? At any rate, things have calmed down and you'll be seeing more posts from me from now on. If I'm going to be gone an extended amount of time, I'll try to keep you all posted.

5 Reasons Purdue Pete Goes Home Crying

I don't know about all of you, but I'm getting pumped about our upcoming match against sacrifice of the Purdue Boilermakers for the football gods. At the beginning of the week, I was still feeling the sting of nearly losing a close battle against Minnesota, but in the past day or so, that has magically gone away. I think that has something to do with karma.

Speaking of karma, our opponents seem to have done something horrific to piss off the Football Powers That Be. The Boilers have had one thing after another go horrifically wrong each week, usually having something to do with injuries. That's why they come visiting us in Evanston with a 2-2 record and seeking a lot of answers from new players. Coach Danny Hope didn't have anything like this planned when we took the head coaching job last year. That said, even if they don't right the ship this year (and I certainly don't think that will happen against us), Hope's probably got another free year before his seat really starts warming up.

More about why we lick Purdue Pete's tears after the break:

The Momentum Game, Week 6: Where "P" Doesn't Equal "mv"

The title above is for all the physics nerds out there. Represent. Now that we've moved into conference play, the Momentum Game is shaking up quite a bit. Several teams have suddenly stopped in their tracks, while others have gained some traction and are moving on up. Northwestern might be slowing down due to some lackluster wins, but hey... would you rather have lost a game?

Without further ado, here are our competitors in The Momentum Game:

1. Ohio State (W4 v Ohio, W4 v Eastern Michigan, W2 @ Illinois)
Well, that last one wasn't quite so easy now, was it? It's funny how games can become a lot harder when you actually take it to the road. That said, this is still the team to beat. Last Week: #1

2. Michigan State (W1 v Notre Dame, W2 v Northern Colorado, W2 v Wisconsin)
No head coach? No problem. This team has definitely stepped it up in recent weeks, but they haven't played anyone on the road yet. I'll be interested in seeing what happens in the Big House on Saturday. LW: #3

Quick Hit: Additional Wildcat Food!

Hey guys,

I'll readily admit that I am not all that aware of the Northwestern sports blogs out there, but I try to look for some when I get the chance. Today I happened upon Black N Purple, another site devoted to NU football and all things Fitz. I've posted it up in my "Wildcat Food" column, and go ahead and show blog writer Bob a little love here.

Weekly Poll: The Running Back Merry-Go-Round

Even after a game where we faced a supposed sieve of a running defense, our starting running back situation remains clear as mud. Mike Trumpy had a decent game (15 carries, 53 yards, 1 TD) but really didn't do anything to establish himself as the #1 back. Arby Fields spent the day on the bench after having two consecutive games where he fumbled away an important scoring drive. And somehow, for some reason, Adonis Smith found his way onto the field to the tune of two carries and 1 yard. Yuck.

So I want to hear from you -- whom should we "feature" (not start) at running back this weekend? Poll's on the left. Let me hear your reasoning in the comments section below!

Poll Watch: The Coaches Make Me Eat My Words

Sorry guys, I've been running a little bit behind right now. I'm one of those guys who does this when he's not stressing out over classes, and well... classes got to me over the weekend. If you want a thorough review of the game, I suggest you hop on over to Lake the Posts for his recap. Although I will say this... if there are two quarterbacks to watch in the Big Eleventy-Twelve, they are Denard Robinson and our man, Dan Persa.

Last week, I speculated that we would not make a showing in either active poll (AP or USA Today). However, after the week that was in college football, it appears that we earned quite a bit just by not losing. More on that after the jump:

The Case For/Against Arby Fields

I recently got into a debate on the validity of whether RB Arby Fields should remain the "starting" running back for the 'Cats. As most of you may know, the two-deep going into this week's battle with Minnesota has Fields noticeably absent from the list. Instead, Trumpy and Schmidt get the nod for the opening carries of the game. There are some who believe that Arby just hasn't gotten a chance to prove himself. That said, I decided to look farther into the numbers that Fields has put up so far this season. Let's take a look inside, shall we?

Quick Hit: BR's Quarterback Rankings

Just picked up this nice little tidbit from The Bleacher Report on where they rate the Big Ten's starting quarterbacks after the nonconference season ended this past weekend. Check to see where our man Dan Persa ended up...

The Momentum Game, Week 5: Not Your Mother's Power Rankings

Welcome to the first edition of The Momentum Game, everyone! One of the things that I've noticed is that there are a ton of power rankings, power polls, whatever you want to call them. What I don't like about them, though, is that they seem to be extremely fixed based on a team's record, and not necessarily based on recent play. Example: Big Ten blogger for ESPN, Adam Rittenberg, had Iowa as his No. 2 team in his Big Ten Power Rankings going into Week 3. Somehow, after a weekend where Iowa drops a big game to Arizona, Adam's still got them ranked at #3 when most every other team took care of business that weekend.

To that I say, "not here." The Momentum Game isn't about how good your team is, it is about where your headed. There's a lot more fluidity, so to speak. With that said, here are the three rules that I will adhere to for The Momentum Game, after the jump:

Poll Watch: Why NU will not be ranked at 6-0

The newest AP and USA Today Coaches' Polls just came out this morning, and I was not too surprised at our standings right now. There was very little movement in the Big Ten, as the conference's schedule was, well, lousy. Here's the breakdown of where our Wildcats stand right now:

'Cats Make 4-0, Coaching Staff Not Quite on Heart Attack Watch

Whoo! I'll take the win today. Not quite the cardiac event that we usually expect, but a couple of bad plays made this one a lot closer than it probably should have been. For the betting types, Central Michigan covered the spread on their last TD drive, but didn't get another opportunity to score. Drake Dunsmore iced the game by recovering the onside kick before the ball cleared the 10-yard recovery threshold.  With apologies to Coach Dantonio at MSU, we did not quite create a cardiac situation today.

Team	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	Final
CMU	6	7	0	12	25
NU	6	7	10	7	30

Quick thoughts about the game after the jump:

Quick Hit: A Tackling Clinic

I'm getting geared up for kickoff here! In browsing for any last-minute Wildcat updates, I found myself at the MGoBlog, one of Michigan's most analytical football blogs out there. The share-worthy post is an analysis of Rufus, Ohio's mascot, and his technique in tackling Brutus Buckeye in last weekend's game. Hilarious.

The Ol' West: Why Wildcats Defeat the Chippewas

First gameday optimism post! I'm excited to try this out. Unfortunately, I will not be in attendance at Ryan Field tomorrow, but thanks to the lovely timing of Illinois having a "bye" week, I get to watch the game from the confines of my living room located in Champaign. Funny, no one's tried to heckle me on the days that I walk Illinois's campus with a purple shirt on...

This week's opponents victims are the Central Michigan Chippewas. Normally perennial favorites in the Mid-American Conference race, they've already sustained a close loss on the road to Temple. Of course, they also replaced record-setting QB Dan LeFevour and three-year coach Butch Jones. That said, I wish Butch had taken his winning ways with him to Cincinnati, because he sure doesn't have them right now.

More about Northwestern's imminent domination after the break:

Well, look what we have here...

This, my friend, is a new blog. Welcome to Bleed Wildcat Purple, yet another place to get a dose of Northwestern Wildcat glory, because there's no such thing as too much Wildcat consumption. (Note: This does not include anyone with tuberculosis. That is too much Wildcat consumption.)

What you're looking at right now is what will hopefully be a haven for Northwestern Wildcat fans, particularly in football and basketball. As this place gets booted up some more, I'll figure out some regular weekly postings, with names like "Week 4 Preview: Why Ohio State Sucks at Scheduling" or something like that. Eventually, if people actually start reading this thing, there might be a regular poll over by the upper-left hand corner... maybe call it the "Incredibly Useless Poll of the Week"? I'll figure it out as I go.

I also want to create a banner image at the top, because Blogger's templates aren't going to cut it, and I don't know enough coding to make it decent. If you have any ideas of what to include in the banner, let me know! Leave a comment below or send me an e-mail.

If you Bleed Wildcat Purple like Coach Fitz does, hopefully this will be the perfect place for you.