After a disappointing road loss to Penn State to start conference play and a great home win against Nebraska, Northwestern (12-2) fell to No. 16 in the poll. The Wildcats were ranked No. 14 after Week 8 but a 1-1 start to conference play leaves them third out of the Big Ten teams this week.
On Thursday, Northwestern blew a fourth-quarter lead at Penn State and gave up a 7-0 run in the waning minutes to seal Coach McKeown's 19th career defeat to Penn State. The team returned to Welsh-Ryan Arena and demolished Nebraska by a margin of 23 points.