Oddly, while most Northwestern fans like to use the “private school” label as a crutch for our basketball teams’ lack of success, it has now become a source of pride when it comes to the football program.

Looking forward: MSU’s coach praises NU for “coming back after being behind.”

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Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema hates to lose, and watching a 19-point first-half lead evaporate in Saturday’s 27-25 loss at Michigan — the biggest comeback in Big House history — left a sour taste in his mouth.
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Let’s take a look around the Big Ten at the Coaches’ Weekly Press Conferences in the weekly installment of Around the Big Ten…

At Michigan State, coach Mark Dantonio was reserved in releasing too much information about his football team. He said he is excited for the Homecoming crowd as the Spartans seek a 2-0 Big Ten start.

Summary:
“I thought our guys persevered, were resilient. They came back, did enough good things to get the win. In going onto the Iowa game. Big game, homecoming. It should be an outstanding crowd. Iowa comes in. They’ve played very well so far, and they’re a physical football team… Very disciplined football team”
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The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings consists of two human polls (Coaches’ and Harris Interactive) and six computer polls (Billingsley, Colley, Massey, Sagarin, Wolfe, and Anderson & Hester). The complete BCS rankings will not be released until Oct. 19, but fans have six of the eight polls to go off of at this juncture.

The good news for the Northwestern faithful? The Wildcats are getting some love in three of the four computer polls.

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C.J. Bachér was named the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Week for his effort in Northwestern’s come-from-behind win over Iowa on Saturday. The senior quarterback completed 28-of-45 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns in the 22-17 victory in Iowa City, Iowa. It was Bachér’s third time receiving the honor.

After his season opening 23-for-35, 215-yard performance against Syracuse, Bachér struggled mightily. The captain did not throw for a touchdown in three consecutive weeks against Duke, Southern Illinois and Ohio, while throwing four interceptions. Bachér threw for fewer than 200 yards only once last season against Ohio State but failed to reach the 200-yard plateau for two consecutive weeks before the Wildcats’ Big Ten opener.
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The game time and network coverage for Northwestern’s next Big Ten game have been set.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. with game coverage being provided by ESPN2. The Wildcats will meet with Michigan State in a game that has provided instant classics in the past two seasons.

In 2006, NU jumped out to a 38-3 lead before allowing 38 unanswered points in a 41-38 loss. In 2007, the Cats topped the Spartans 48-41 in an overtime game that featured 13 lead changes.

More: Bacher named Big Ten offensive player of the week

We’re only one week into conference play and there have been many surprises in the Big Ten. Expect it to continue - parity runs rampant in the Big Ten. Here’s how the teams stack up…

1. Penn State (5-0, 1-0) – Until the Nittany Lions lose, they’re the favorites. Quarterback Daryll Clark reminds people of the 11-1 Penn State team that went to the Orange Bowl with Michael Robinson as the signal-caller. Derrick Williams is one of the nation’s best all-around players, and running back Evan Royster is the real deal. The defense is ferocious, and the return of lineman Abe Koroma and Maurice Evans only helps the cause. Still, the Nits didn’t play a tough opponent until meeting with Illinois on Saturday. Their fate will be decided in games at Wisconsin and at Ohio State in October.
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REAL-TIME RANKINGS: The Wildcats are certainly knocking on the door of the Top 25. With 98 votes, Northwestern stands just one spot out of the national rankings in the USA Today/Coaches Poll, ten votes ahead of Michigan State.

NU is 30th in the Associated Press poll with 32 votes, 10 votes behind Michigan State. So clearly, the experts think the Cats’ clash with the Spartans in two weeks will be very evenly matched.

The Cats have not been ranked in the Top 25 since they were ranked No. 25 on November 12, 2005, before losing 48-7 to Ohio State.
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Sam Bradford’s big week against then No. 24 TCU puts him as the Heisman favorite as former front-runner Chase Daniel heads to Nebraska this weekend after his bye week. It will be a very Big 12 month as the conference prepares for its clash of the titans in Dallas next weekend. Continue reading »

An undefeated record and yesterday’s gritty road win weren’t enough to get the Wildcats into the Associated Press or ESPN/USA Today Top 25 rankings this week.

NU tied Tulsa with 32 votes in today’s AP Top 25 poll, 75 votes behind No. 25 Wake Forest. Penn State, at No. 6, has the highest ranking in the Big Ten, ahead of No. 14 Ohio State and No. 18 Wisconsin. Michigan State also won 42 votes.

Things are much closer for the Cats in the ESPN/USA Today poll; NU finished atop the “Others Receiving Votes” category with 98. Wake Forest is No. 25 in those rankings as well with 148 votes.