Heading into the bye week, are the Wildcats closer to the team that was blown out by Iowa? Or the one that started 5-0?
College football polls show no mercy. On Oct. 4, Northwestern was No. 13 in the country, undefeated with quality wins against Stanford and Duke, and armed with one of the best defenses in college football. Fourteen days later, the Wildcats were confined to Big Ten mediocrity.
Following a crushing 40-10 loss at Ryan Field to Iowa, Northwestern then traveled to Memorial Stadium as 7-point underdogs. But against the odds, Northwestern avoided a fourth quarter collapse and held onto a narrow 30-28 victory that ensured its first bowl appearance since 2012.