What Pat Fitzgerald said on B1G Championship teleconference

Ohio State had to dismantle Michigan in Week 13 to prove that it was the best team in the Big Ten East.

Northwestern, however, wrapped up the Big Ten West weeks ago. The Wildcats have known that they were playing in the Big Ten Championship on Dec. 1, they just didn’t know who they would be playing. Now, it’s all set in stone, though.

Northwestern enters with an 8-4 overall record and went 8-1 in Big Ten play. Ohio State is repping an 11-1 record while also going 8-1 in conference. Both teams have played some of their best football coming into the game, which could prove to be a good one.

Ohio State has all the talent and attention from the media. If there’s one team with real College Football Playoff aspirations, it’s the Buckeyes, not the Wildcats. But, Northwestern can be the spoiler and laugh all the way to the Rose Bowl once the 60 minutes are concluded.

Ahead of the Big Ten Championship Game, Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald spoke on the Big Ten Championship teleconference on Sunday:

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald now on the teleconference. "It's a special group. Our senior class has 40 wins, which ties a school record."

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) November 25, 2018

Fitzgerald: "Now we've got a huge, huge challenge in front of us."

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) November 25, 2018

Fitzgerald on his secondary's injury status: Said he hopes to have everyone back but will have to wait until the week unfolds.

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) November 25, 2018

Fitzgerald said team leaders "were not going to allow the season to go the direction those two games went," referring to non-conference losses to Akron and Duke.

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) November 25, 2018

Fitzgerald said the "euphoria" of winning Big Ten West has subsided and now they're back to business. "This is going to be a huge challenge for us. We understand that."

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) November 25, 2018

Fitzgerald asked about winning close games instead of just "smearing" opponents: "I've been here a long time. I don't know how many smears we've had."

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) November 25, 2018

Fitzgerald: "We just grind it out. We have a bunch of guys who play for each other."

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) November 25, 2018

Fitz said he remembers when he arrived at Northwestern in the 1990s and Wildcats were everybody's homecoming game. Now, he said, Northwestern gets everyone's best shot.

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) November 25, 2018

Fitzgerald gives a long answer detailing his friendship with Meyer, saying he's an advocate for the sport and players.

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) November 25, 2018

Q: What's your biggest concern about having to play Ohio State?

Pat Fitzgerald: "Everything."

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 25, 2018

Northwestern-Ohio State is scheduled for an 8 p.m. start on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The game will be televised on FOX.