With six games under their belt, the Wildcats are halfway through October and halfway through the regular football season. But the remainder of the schedule might be considered a season on it’s own- each of the last six games will all feature fellow Big Ten Conference teams.
So many conferences, divisions, rankings and rules- it gets hard to keep track of who’s who and what’s on the line. So you may be wondering: what exactly is the Big Ten? (And why isn’t it called the Big Twelve?)
The Big 10 is the oldest Division I sports conference in the country, and it originally consisted of ten college teams, until the fairly recent additions of Penn State and Nebraska. There are 12 teams today, but they are divided into two inter-conference divisions: Leaders and Legends.
The Leaders are Ohio State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Penn State, Illinois and Purdue. Ohio State currently leads the Leaders with an undefeated season and a 2-0 conference record.
Northwestern is a member of the Legends, along with Michigan State, Nebraska, Michigan, Iowa and Minnesota. Michigan State and Nebraska are the frontrunners, both with a 2-0 division record, followed by Iowa and Michigan at 1-1.
We have yet to face another Legend this season, but that will change this coming Saturday when Minnesota comes to Evanston. The Golden Gophers have had a similar season to the Wildcats thus far, winning their first four games and then falling behind in their last two. Those defeats, however, were at the hands of two Legends, Michigan and Iowa.
The parallel courses of NU’s and Minnesota’s 2013 seasons make this Saturday crucial. Only one team can end their two-game losing streak and put themselves ahead in the standings. Because the winner of each division advances to the Big 10 Football Championship, any climb up the Legends ladder is essential.
But which will ascend the rungs first, commanding Wildcat claws or gritty Gopher teeth?