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The dream is now a reality. Northwestern is headed to Indianapolis.
For the first time since Pat Fitzgerald was playing linebacker in Evanston, Northwestern has a chance to claim a B1G title. With a 14-10 victory over Iowa at Kinnick Stadium, the Wildcats are the winners of a division for the first time since the conference split.
The victory came in true Northwestern fashion, too.
Northwestern and Iowa combined for fewer than 400 yards of total offense in the game. Both teams turned the ball over twice. There were four lead changes throughout the game. But in the end, it was a 32-yard touchdown pass from Clayton Thorson to Bennett Skowronek that ended up being the difference.
Freshman running back Isaiah Bowser came up huge, too. The freshman sparked the offense, even if slightly, rushing for 165 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries. He accounted for the Wildcats’ first touchdown of the game, breaking off a 34-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter to take a 7-3 lead early in the second half.
Fittingly, it was also Bowser’s four-yard run on 4th-and-2 with under a minute to play that sealed the victory, and the division, for Northwestern.
In addition to claiming the West, the Wildcats also guaranteed a postseason bid, improving to 6-4 on the season. They’re 5-1 in B1G play.
Though Northwestern’s record isn’t what you might expect of a division champion, it still has two extremely winnable games left on the schedule. It’ll battle Minnesota next Saturday before closing out the year with Illinois. This could potentially be an eight-win team by the end of the regular season.
And don’t forget, Northwestern is the one B1G team that has really given Michigan a run for its money this season. The Cats owned a 17-0 lead before the Wolverines came to life and scratched out a 20-17 victory in Evanston.
Wouldn’t that be a fun rematch in Indianapolis?
Regardless of what happens for the remainder of the season, Northwestern’s accomplishment on Saturday is one that shouldn’t be undermined. Certainly, the B1G West isn’t the best division in college football. But winning a division, following a 1-3 start to the season, is a remarkable feat.
And because it’s Northwestern and Pat Fitzgerald — a coach who’s run a clean program for 13 seasons — it’s one of the feel-good stories of college football.
Northwestern still has two games left, but it’s headed to Indianapolis in December. The only question is whether the Wildcats will see Michigan or Ohio State.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB