2. Is Northwestern for real?
Nobody thought the Wildcats (No. 16) would be sitting here with a 4-0 record as we approach Week 5. That said, hot starts aren’t exactly uncommon with this program, but the month of October has been its Kryptonite since 2010 (6-14 record).
Dual-threat freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson has performed admirably with the running game leading the way, and the team’s defense has been stellar, ranking No. 3 in the nation in points allowed (8.8 per game).
An underrated Minnesota team comes into town this weekend, and the Golden Gophers won’t easily go down, as we all saw in the opening weekend against TCU. This contest will be won and lost in the trenches. Whichever team can dominate the other up front will walk away with a victory.
Unfortunately this isn’t a nationally televised contest. Fans with subscriptions to the Big Ten Network can watch beginning at 12 p.m. ET.