Go U Northwestern

When I attended Northwestern in the early 90s (yes, that means -- gulp -- a decade ago), our football team was a joke.

Actually, we prided ourselves on how bad the team was. (The chant went, "That's all right, that's OK, you're gonna work for us one day.") Northwestern crowds threw marshmallows in the stands to amuse themselves, as the play on the field just wasn't that interesting. And in the few instances where the Wildcats would actually win, crowds would rush the field, unearth the goalposts and carry them several blocks to Lake Michigan. Really.

Then, the fall after my graduation, something miraculous happened: Northwestern started winning. The NU football team's Cinderella season was one of the biggest sports stories of 1995, leading up to the 1996 Rose Bowl. And although no NU team has quite matched that fairytale again, NU is no longer quite the football joke it once was.

This season is proving that once again, as Northwestern has unexpectedly become a contender for the Big Ten title. After last weekend's easy victory over then-ranked Michigan State, NU (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) has now made it on to both the AP (No. 21) and USA Today coaches (No. 23) polls for the first time in four years.

Next up: NU plays Michigan this Saturday in Evanston at Ryan Field.