Northwestern reappears in BCS Top 25
Northwestern has leapt back on the Bowl Championship Series' "up" escalator - just in time for a rare opportunity Saturday against Ohio State (11 a.m., ESPN2).
The Wildcats returned to the BCS Top 25 on Sunday in the wake of their thrilling 24-17 win at Minnesota.
Northwestern checked in at No. 24, which is good for fourth among Big Ten teams.
The Wildcats ranked No. 22 in the original BCS release on Oct. 19, but plummeted to No. 36 with their unexpected loss to Indiana.
With their re-emergence in the Top 25, the Wildcats join Georgia Tech as the only teams that started in the poll, dropped out and then resurfaced.
That gives Northwestern (7-2) an outside chance to finish among the Top 12 and become BCS-eligible.
Saturday's game with No. 11 Ohio State (7-2) marks just the second time in 45 years the Wildcats own an equal or better record than the Buckeyes when they meet.
In 2001, the Wildcats' 3-0 start was torpedoed by a 38-20 loss to a 2-1 Buckeyes team in Columbus, Ohio.
Super Bowl time: Illinois steps out of Big Ten play and marches right into a trap game.
Or maybe not.
The Illini (5-4), who need 1 more win to become bowl-eligible, travel to Detroit's Ford Field to face a solid Western Michigan team.
The Broncos (7-2) boast the nation's sixth-most prolific passing offense.
Quarterback Tim Hiller has thrown for 2,856 yards and 28 touchdowns while completing 69 percent of his throws.
Illinois sophomore receiver Arrelious Benn, who admires wide-open offenses such as Western Michigan's, insists there'll be no drop-off.
"We've been there before, going into a game not knowing what to expect from a team," Benn said. "We've got to come out and play like it's the Super Bowl, because them playing against us is like the Super Bowl for them."
Midweek kings: Starting with Wednesday's trip to undefeated Ball State, which dropped one spot to No. 17 in the BCS standings, Northern Illinois plays four straight weeks on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
First-year Huskies coach Jerry Kill is conflicted about the oddball scheduling.
On one hand, Northern Illinois (5-3, 4-1) gets to make two and perhaps three appearances on ESPN2. Kill appreciates that exposure.
On the other hand, his players will miss school Tuesday and Wednesday this week in order to make the five-hour bus trip to Muncie, Ind.
"The bottom line is going to college is about getting an education," Kill said after Sunday's practice. "We're not talking about dealing with 14 players like basketball. We're dealing with a lot of players.
"They miss (two days of) class and then we get back at 4 in the morning Thursday. And then they're expected to go to class at 8, which they should. But that's not easy to do."