2012 must feel like a lifetime ago for Pat Fitzgerald.
Since that 10-3 record and #16 finish, Northwestern is 10-14, played about as inconsistently as it’s possible to play, missed two postseasons, and had its players unionize. Fitzgerald went from being considered a hot up-and-coming coaching prospect to being the coach no one wanted anything to do with. The goodwill from 2011 and 2012 and a massive contract make Fitzgerald unfireable, but fans are disappointed Northwestern had a shot at a big break and whiffed on it.
BAD THEN GREAT THEN TERRIBLE THEN GOOD
If Northwestern fans would have known they were going to win games against Penn State, Wisconsin, and Notre Dame you’d probably never suspect they’d finish 5-7, but college football is weird.