Northwestern University is based in Evanston, Illinois just north of Chicago. The Wildcats ended the regular season on a 7-game winning streak, finishing 9-3 and ranked No. 21 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Northwestern is coached by Pat Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald played linebacker at Northwestern from 1993-1996. Fitzgerald was the Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner and the Chuck Bednarik Trophy winner. Both trophies honor the nation’s best defender and Fitzgerald won both honors twice. Fitzgerald was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
As a coach, Fitzgerald has had moderate success.