Big final day ahead for NU, Illinois
Northwestern is pulling out all the stops in an effort to collect win No. 7 on Saturday against Michigan State.
The school hosted a reunion of the 1996 Big Ten co-champs last weekend. This week’s celebrity guest is New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, an NU grad who will serve as honorary captain for the game against the Spartans.
Coach Pat Fitzgerald knows what’s at stake. If Purdue beats Indiana this weekend, the Big Ten will have 10 bowl-eligible teams but just eight bowl tie-ins.
A victory over Michigan State would give Northwestern a 7-5 record, a five-game winning streak and a second upset over a top-12 team. This scenario would surely send the Wildcats to a bowl for the fourth straight year.
Lose and Northwestern still is bowl eligible at 6-6, but there is no guarantee any slots will be available.
“We in no way feel 6 wins are good enough,” said senior defensive tackle Jack DiNardo on Monday. “Guys in my class remember going 6-6 as freshmen and going home for the holidays. There’s definitely a sense of urgency to get that seventh win.”
Illinois is in the same boat. Should the Illini lose at Minnesota on Saturday, they would finish 6-6, a huge disappointment following a 6-0 start. With coach Ron Zook’s job security in doubt, Illinois can’t count on a bowl trip without the seventh victory.
“I talked to them about how much the seniors have riding on this game,” Zook told reporters in Champaign. “I told (the players), ‘It’s about you guys. It’s not about me.’”
It’s conceivable four Big Ten teams could finish 6-6: Northwestern, Illinois, Ohio State and Purdue. There’s not much doubt the Buckeyes would get the best bowl slot if that occurs.
Those lower-tier teams would get a boost if the Big Ten can get a second team in a BCS bowl, which has happened in each of the past six years.
The winner of the Big Ten title game is headed to the Rose Bowl, since there is no chance of getting an invite to the BCS championship. One possible scenario is preseason favorite Wisconsin beating Penn State on Saturday to win the Leaders Division, then getting revenge for Michigan State’s last-play Hail Mary touchdown, and advancing to Pasadena for a second straight year.
The loser of the Big Ten title contest will have 3 losses, maybe more. So the league’s best chance at getting a second team in a BSC bowl is Michigan. Should the Wolverines end their long losing streak against Ohio State this week, they would finish 10-2.
Michigan fans were sitting on their bowl vacation money during most of the Rich Rodriguez era, a fact that should resonate with bowl directors.
Next up in the Big Ten pecking order is the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla. Michigan State was there last year, so this bowl might jump at the chance to invite Big Ten newcomer Nebraska to face the SEC No. 3, possibly Arkansas.
If MSU doesn’t get to the Rose Bowl, the Spartans could be headed to the Outback Bowl in Tampa to take on SEC No. 4 or 5.
If selection committees prescribe to the theory that no publicity is bad publicity, Penn State could be off to Tempe, Ariz., for the Insight Bowl. If not, the Nittany Lions might swap spots with Ohio State. Iowa figures to get the Gator Bowl bid, even if it loses at Nebraska to finish 7-5.
If Northwestern gets to 7-5, it should have a decent shot at playing in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, which is played in Houston on Dec. 31. Illinois won that game last year when it was known as the Texas Bowl.
The Big Ten’s final two bowl slots are the TicketCity in Dallas, which Northwestern played in last year, and the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit on Dec. 27.
The Pizza Bowl, against the MAC runner-up, is no one’s idea of a prize destination. But it beats sitting at home.
“I promise you nobody’s satisfied in our locker room just by winning six games,” Fitzgerald said.