This may be the singlemost important game of NU's entire history

[EvanstonCat]

We have won titles before, but was there ever absolutely everything on the line for a single game as there is now?

Plus, all the stuff I wrote about what playing Ohio State means.

This is literally for all the marbles.

 

[NUCat320]

I agree.
The “stain” of the championships of the last 25 years is that someone else, or nobody, did the OSU-related dirty work. This is NU’s chance.

Championship games are fun.

 

[SmellyCat]

I am of the opinion that this is the Most Important Game in Northwestern Football History, and that there isn't even a close No. 2. Even if we win and go to the Rose Bowl, that game won't be more important than this one.

The games in 1995 were important, but the Rose Bowl wasn't going to get us a National Championship (Nebraska had that sown up), and even on 1/1/1996, there were a lot of people saying NU was a fluke. When they followed up in 1996, it was, "well, the still haven't played Ohio State." In 2000, it was "Gimmick Offense!" (and the Alamo Bowl debacle didn't help). The 2013 game with Ohio State seemed like it was the most important at the time, but in retrospect, it wasn't.

THIS game.

This is the one that sends us into the stratosphere. Lose the game, and NU is just the same NU we've been for the last quarter century. Pretty good, sometimes excellent, sometimes mediocre. Can beat (or lose to) most teams on its schedule. Still haven't taken the next step.

WIN this game, and what is the narrative? Big Ten Champs! Rose Bowl! Look at those facilities! Hey, did you hear Northwestern won the Big Ten AND they're adding a five-star quarterback? Is Joe Gaziano an All-American? Is Isaiah Bowser on Heisman lists? That game against Stanford will be the biggest game of the opening weekend! And so on. All of that is on the table.

Go Cats.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I think this is the most important game in ECat history.

 

[zeek55]

We have won titles before, but was there ever absolutely everything on the line for a single game as there is now?

Plus, all the stuff I wrote about what playing Ohio State means.

This is literally for all the marbles.

I am of the opinion that this is the Most Important Game in Northwestern Football History, and that there isn't even a close No. 2. Even if we win and go to the Rose Bowl, that game won't be more important than this one.

The games in 1995 were important, but the Rose Bowl wasn't going to get us a National Championship (Nebraska had that sown up), and even on 1/1/1996, there were a lot of people saying NU was a fluke. When they followed up in 1996, it was, "well, the still haven't played Ohio State." In 2000, it was "Gimmick Offense!" (and the Alamo Bowl debacle didn't help). The 2013 game with Ohio State seemed like it was the most important at the time, but in retrospect, it wasn't.

THIS game.

This is the one that sends us into the stratosphere. Lose the game, and NU is just the same NU we've been for the last quarter century. Pretty good, sometimes excellent, sometimes mediocre. Can beat (or lose to) most teams on its schedule. Still haven't taken the next step.

WIN this game, and what is the narrative? Big Ten Champs! Rose Bowl! Look at those facilities! Hey, did you hear Northwestern won the Big Ten AND they're adding a five-star quarterback? Is Joe Gaziano an All-American? Is Isaiah Bowser on Heisman lists? That game against Stanford will be the biggest game of the opening weekend! And so on. All of that is on the table.

Go Cats.

It's a combination of 3 factors:

I agree with both of you, but let me state it all together: A win on Saturday would probably be the greatest win in the history of the program. I don't say that lightly because we all know how important those 1995 Notre Dame and Michigan games were. We ended many long losing streaks that year as well as have had other major program building wins over the past 25 years.

But none of those games had anywhere near the stakes riding on this single game.


1) This game is an entire Big Ten championship on the line in one night. The whole season is on the line. Win and we're outright Big Ten champs going to the Rose Bowl. Lose and we're just division champs that had a nice year of Big Ten play in the West.


2) The opponent is 11 win Ohio State that's ranked in the top 10.

We don't have any signature wins against Ohio State in our greatest seasons of the last 25 years like we do our other rivals and other Big Ten powers. We've gotten scalps off good to great teams of everyone else in important years for the program... except Ohio State.


All we have from Ohio State is 1 win in the last 47 years in a year where we finished 6-6.

That win was like Purdue's this year or Iowa's last year. A great win but not attached to a great year.

This is the chance to add an Ohio State pelt to the wall with our greatest wins against ND, Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State.


3) The program building aspects as @SmellyCat alluded to... a win this week will add another boost to recruiting over the next couple of years as we're going to start seeing benefits from the new facility and Hunter Johnson. Basically this would give us a chance to strengthen the foundation to extend this 4 year run to 7 years and then further out...


A win probably also means that we get a $300+ million stadium renovation financed within 3 years. Donors will be throwing even more money at Phillips...


This game has everything on the line in terms of upside for the program. It's like 2013 but on steroids. Every factor of that 2013 game amplified significantly.

 

[hdhntr1]

We have won titles before, but was there ever absolutely everything on the line for a single game as there is now?

Plus, all the stuff I wrote about what playing Ohio State means.

This is literally for all the marbles.

If we win it can be a very important to the program but if we don't, it does not likely hurt

 

[villox]

If we win it can be a very important to the program but if we don't, it does not likely hurt

I think most except E-Cat would agree with this. Even a blowout, which at this point is expected by many, will not be great for us, but won't be devastating at all.

A win however and watch out.

 

[zeek55]

If we win it can be a very important to the program but if we don't, it does not likely hurt

Yeah. I want to be clear here about my post above: I think this game has the most upside of any game we've played, but the downside is insignificant for a game like this.

A loss just means we don't take the next step of program building this week.

We'll have to wait until the next opportunity to do that. But this kind of opportunity is rare even though we hope it becomes less rare in the future.


The fact that this is the first time we've had this opportunity under Fitz is probably also why it feels so important.

 

[eastbaycat99]

Some perspective:


1) I believe this is the third time the Cats have gone into a game where a win meant an undisputed Big Ten championship without any other contingencies, the other two being1931 and 1936. In 1931, they lost to Purdue and fell into a 3 way tie with Purdue and Michigan for the title. In 1936 they beat Michigan to win the title outright. If there is an NU historian on the board, they can check me on this, but I believe I am correct.

2) From a national image perspective, the 1962 Wisconsin game may match this one. The Cats were ranked #1, Wisconsin #8. The Cats lost, 37-6, marking the high water mark of the Ara Era.

3) To me, in the revival era, the Penn State game in 1995 had huge stakes riding on it. It was on national television with Keith Jackson, and the game where the country wanted to know if the Cats were real. A loss and they get a nice pat on the head, a win and they get a Sports Illustrated cover and recognition.

I think this is near the top historically, but the fact that OSU has been a flawed team this year and that the Cats, while good, are not in a position to be perceived as a really dominant team, even with a win, places it a little behind the 1962 Wisconsin and 1995 PSU game, but I will respect anyone who puts this one at the top.

 

[MotownMedilldo]

It's a combination of 3 factors:

I agree with both of you, but let me state it all together: A win on Saturday would probably be the greatest win in the history of the program. I don't say that lightly because we all know how important those 1995 Notre Dame and Michigan games were. We ended many long losing streaks that year as well as have had other major program building wins over the past 25 years.

But none of those games had anywhere near the stakes riding on this single game.


1) This game is an entire Big Ten championship on the line in one night. The whole season is on the line. Win and we're outright Big Ten champs going to the Rose Bowl. Lose and we're just division champs that had a nice year of Big Ten play in the West.


2) The opponent is 11 win Ohio State that's ranked in the top 10.

We don't have any signature wins against Ohio State in our greatest seasons of the last 25 years like we do our other rivals and other Big Ten powers. We've gotten scalps off good to great teams of everyone else in important years for the program... except Ohio State.


All we have from Ohio State is 1 win in the last 47 years in a year where we finished 6-6.

That win was like Purdue's this year or Iowa's last year. A great win but not attached to a great year.

This is the chance to add an Ohio State pelt to the wall with our greatest wins against ND, Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State.


3) The program building aspects as @SmellyCat alluded to... a win this week will add another boost to recruiting over the next couple of years as we're going to start seeing benefits from the new facility and Hunter Johnson. Basically this would give us a chance to strengthen the foundation to extend this 4 year run to 7 years and then further out...


A win probably also means that we get a $300+ million stadium renovation financed within 3 years. Donors will be throwing even more money at Phillips...


This game has everything on the line in terms of upside for the program. It's like 2013 but on steroids. Every factor of that 2013 game amplified significantly.

Yep, all eyes on NU Saturday night. If the Cats manage to win, many of those eyes will stay on NU. Right now, Northwestern is the cute little engine that could.

Here's a friend's take on Fitz winning B1G COY: Isn’t this a bit of an overreaction? They didn’t have to play Penn St or Ohio St in the regular season, and lost to every good team they faced. Their biggest win was Sparty, who finished 7-5. I mean it’s a nice story & all, but NU being in the conference championship game is best argument yet for why the Big 10 needs to realign it’s divisions. I’m not trying to denigrate NU, they had a great season. But I don’t buy that this guy is building some kind of perennial power, as I don’t even think they’ll be a perennially “good” team. If the schedule goes a different way next year this team is 6-6. Maybe it points to how weak the Big 10 is right now. I’d love for the league to have a championship game like Alabama-Georgia, but NU isn’t even close to that class.

Win Saturday and all of it changes in an instant. I'd also argue how Northwestern wins, if it does, is also important. If Bowser can get going early and NU can stay out of 3rd and long, it will be a close game. If not, it will be an OSU blowout given their explosive offense. If NU wins a shootout, it's more likely to be dismissed as a gimmick.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Yep, all eyes on NU Saturday night. If the Cats manage to win, many of those eyes will stay on NU. Right now, Northwestern is the cute little engine that could.

Here's a friend's take on Fitz winning B1G COY: Isn’t this a bit of an overreaction? They didn’t have to play Penn St or Ohio St in the regular season, and lost to every good team they faced. Their biggest win was Sparty, who finished 7-5. I mean it’s a nice story & all, but NU being in the conference championship game is best argument yet for why the Big 10 needs to realign it’s divisions. I’m not trying to denigrate NU, they had a great season. But I don’t buy that this guy is building some kind of perennial power, as I don’t even think they’ll be a perennially “good” team. If the schedule goes a different way next year this team is 6-6. Maybe it points to how weak the Big 10 is right now. I’d love for the league to have a championship game like Alabama-Georgia, but NU isn’t even close to that class.

Win Saturday and all of it changes in an instant. I'd also argue how Northwestern wins, if it does, is also important. If Bowser can get going early and NU can stay out of 3rd and long, it will be a close game. If not, it will be an OSU blowout given their explosive offense. If NU wins a shootout, it's more likely to be dismissed as a gimmick.

Get a new friend. One that didn’t go to Illinois.

 

[StreamCat]

Yep, all eyes on NU Saturday night. If the Cats manage to win, many of those eyes will stay on NU. Right now, Northwestern is the cute little engine that could.

Here's a friend's take on Fitz winning B1G COY: Isn’t this a bit of an overreaction? They didn’t have to play Penn St or Ohio St in the regular season, and lost to every good team they faced. Their biggest win was Sparty, who finished 7-5. I mean it’s a nice story & all, but NU being in the conference championship game is best argument yet for why the Big 10 needs to realign it’s divisions. I’m not trying to denigrate NU, they had a great season. But I don’t buy that this guy is building some kind of perennial power, as I don’t even think they’ll be a perennially “good” team. If the schedule goes a different way next year this team is 6-6. Maybe it points to how weak the Big 10 is right now. I’d love for the league to have a championship game like Alabama-Georgia, but NU isn’t even close to that class.

Win Saturday and all of it changes in an instant. I'd also argue how Northwestern wins, if it does, is also important. If Bowser can get going early and NU can stay out of 3rd and long, it will be a close game. If not, it will be an OSU blowout given their explosive offense. If NU wins a shootout, it's more likely to be dismissed as a gimmick.

So we realign the conference because of the almighty now, but things will change, so then we will need to realign it again. No one knows what the future brings.

 

[stpaulcat]

I disagree. It is just for the cats' eyes. In ECAT's mind, if we win, commandos will be deployed late Saturday night to demolish the 'Shoe, followed on Sunday morning by the Provost's of all other B1G schools force marching OSU's academic tutors onto the college green and placing scarlet 'O's around their necks. THAT would be 'all the marbles'.

 

[zeek55]

Some perspective:


1) I believe this is the third time the Cats have gone into a game where a win meant an undisputed Big Ten championship without any other contingencies, the other two being1931 and 1936. In 1931, they lost to Purdue and fell into a 3 way tie with Purdue and Michigan for the title. In 1936 they beat Michigan to win the title outright. If there is an NU historian on the board, they can check me on this, but I believe I am correct.

2) From a national image perspective, the 1962 Wisconsin game may match this one. The Cats were ranked #1, Wisconsin #8. The Cats lost, 37-6, marking the high water mark of the Ara Era.

3) To me, in the revival era, the Penn State game in 1995 had huge stakes riding on it. It was on national television with Keith Jackson, and the game where the country wanted to know if the Cats were real. A loss and they get a nice pat on the head, a win and they get a Sports Illustrated cover and recognition.

I think this is near the top historically, but the fact that OSU has been a flawed team this year and that the Cats, while good, are not in a position to be perceived as a really dominant team, even with a win, places it a little behind the 1962 Wisconsin and 1995 PSU game, but I will respect anyone who puts this one at the top.

Good perspectives; I think that discusses the games more in terms of what they mean to specific seasons than in the overall arc of the program.


In terms of the overall arc of the program, I think the other/extraneous factors make this #1:

Given how high expectations are for the next couple of years and where we are in terms of receiving as strong support from the administration and donors as the program ever has ($440 million around 4-6 years in donations, competitive salaries, President/Trustees on board, etc.); a win this Saturday could result in different future results in a way that previous "big games" could not.


It's cheating for me to say, but we do have hindsight. We know the program struggled in Barnett's final years (and that we weren't in the same timezone as the big boys in terms of facilities/salaries). We know what happened after Ara and Agase.


As important as our wins were in 1995, did those wins mean we were destined for a big run 8+ win seasons based off the recruits from those Big Ten championships and Rose Bowl?


Basically, this Ohio State game feels like the 2013 game but on steroids.


Right now, everything is in place for Northwestern to pull off what Wisconsin did the past decade if we can take the "leap" from scrappy challenger to Big Ten champion: the facility is in place, Hunter Johnson is in place, if we win I expect a massive stadium renovation to be easily funded, this is coming at the end of a string of 4 winning Big Ten seasons, multiple bowl wins, etc.


It just feels like this "liftoff" could be different from others: '95-96, '00, '12 were all followed by 2-3 down seasons.

 

[Gladeskat]

This "liftoff" will be a bottle rocket compared to '95-'96. This past season, like the past 20 before it, is a result of '95-'96.

Perhaps it's more like a second-stage rocket. The '95-'96 seasons were the giant booster engine designed by Wernher Von Barnett.

 

[SmellyCat]

This "liftoff" will be a bottle rocket compared to '95-'96. This past season, like the past 20 before it, is a result of '95-'96.

True, the overall distance travelled between 1972-1994 and 1995-1996 will be much greater than the distance travelled between 1995-2017 and now, but we could be in the rarefied air if all goes well Saturday. I'd like to see what it looks like from up there.

 

[Wrestlerneverdiesasacatfan]

I am of the opinion that this is the Most Important Game in Northwestern Football History, and that there isn't even a close No. 2. Even if we win and go to the Rose Bowl, that game won't be more important than this one.

The games in 1995 were important, but the Rose Bowl wasn't going to get us a National Championship (Nebraska had that sown up), and even on 1/1/1996, there were a lot of people saying NU was a fluke. When they followed up in 1996, it was, "well, the still haven't played Ohio State." In 2000, it was "Gimmick Offense!" (and the Alamo Bowl debacle didn't help). The 2013 game with Ohio State seemed like it was the most important at the time, but in retrospect, it wasn't.

THIS game.

This is the one that sends us into the stratosphere. Lose the game, and NU is just the same NU we've been for the last quarter century. Pretty good, sometimes excellent, sometimes mediocre. Can beat (or lose to) most teams on its schedule. Still haven't taken the next step.

WIN this game, and what is the narrative? Big Ten Champs! Rose Bowl! Look at those facilities! Hey, did you hear Northwestern won the Big Ten AND they're adding a five-star quarterback? Is Joe Gaziano an All-American? Is Isaiah Bowser on Heisman lists? That game against Stanford will be the biggest game of the opening weekend! And so on. All of that is on the table.

Go Cats.

Both NU and OSU will be favored in the Rose Bowl

 

[chariots]

Both NU and OSU will be favored in the Rose Bowl

No one has ever made money consistently picking the Big Ten representative in the Rose Bowl.

 

[zeek55]

This "liftoff" will be a bottle rocket compared to '95-'96. This past season, like the past 20 before it, is a result of '95-'96.

Perhaps it's more like a second-stage rocket. The '95-'96 seasons were the giant booster engine designed by Wernher Von Barnett.

Sure but we haven't really had a sustained run like the one we're experiencing now.


The '95-96 runs were the basic foundation.

But we didn't have the facilities or financial support at that time to keep that going. There was still tension between Barnett and the AD over salaries.

Now we are. If we get to the Rose Bowl this year, the resources available will be 50x greater than were available back in the mid-90s. We have a much larger and broader donor base. Our donors are much wealthier with the massive inflation experienced by assets since the early/mid-90s.


With Fitz as the long-term coach and stability in place, the program should be better able to sustain success.

 

[willycat]

Yep, all eyes on NU Saturday night. If the Cats manage to win, many of those eyes will stay on NU. Right now, Northwestern is the cute little engine that could.

Here's a friend's take on Fitz winning B1G COY: Isn’t this a bit of an overreaction? They didn’t have to play Penn St or Ohio St in the regular season, and lost to every good team they faced. Their biggest win was Sparty, who finished 7-5. I mean it’s a nice story & all, but NU being in the conference championship game is best argument yet for why the Big 10 needs to realign it’s divisions. I’m not trying to denigrate NU, they had a great season. But I don’t buy that this guy is building some kind of perennial power, as I don’t even think they’ll be a perennially “good” team. If the schedule goes a different way next year this team is 6-6. Maybe it points to how weak the Big 10 is right now. I’d love for the league to have a championship game like Alabama-Georgia, but NU isn’t even close to that class.

Win Saturday and all of it changes in an instant. I'd also argue how Northwestern wins, if it does, is also important. If Bowser can get going early and NU can stay out of 3rd and long, it will be a close game. If not, it will be an OSU blowout given their explosive offense. If NU wins a shootout, it's more likely to be dismissed as a gimmick.

This "friend", is he/she and Illinois or TSISB fan?

 

[willycat]

So we realign the conference because of the almighty now, but things will change, so then we will need to realign it again. No one knows what the future brings.

Re-alignment... Texas joins the Big Ten in the West and Pitt. joins in the east. Problem solved.

 

[MotownMedilldo]

This "friend", is he/she and Illinois or TSISB fan?

Maryland turtle alumnus.

 

[Gladeskat]

Maryland turtle alumnus.

I know a few. I worked for the Turtle.

They can harbor Salmonella.

 

[phatcat]

I think this is the most important game in ECat history.

And THIS ^ is funniest post in WR history