The Northwestern Wildcats will host the Colorado Buffaloes in a classic 50/50, you can flip a coin kind of game. This is about as evenly matched as it gets. Honestly, it could go either way. Both head coaches, David Braun at Northwestern, Deion Sanders at Colorado, came into their current roles in 2023. The similarities don’t really extend too far beyond that though. Coach Prime arguably received more press coverage than any college football coach in history, his rookie season, while going 3-9. Braun meanwhile defied everybody’s expectations and very quietly won eight games.
What are the Colorado Buffaloes at Northwestern Wildcats FYIs?
Saturday, September 19, 6:30 pm CT
Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium | Evanston, Illinois
FOX (Noah Reed, Devin Gardner, Josh Sims)
WGN 720 AM (Dave Eanet, Ted Albrecht)
Spread: Northwestern -3.5, moneyline -175 over/under 48.5
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Colorado wins 50.2% to Northwestern wins 49.8%
What is at Stake?
When all is said and done, this game might end up being decisive in terms of a bowl bid. For both teams, they need this one, because neither side wants to end up home for the holidays. “Yeah, we gotta win,” Sanders said in an exclusive with Ratings this summer. “That’s it, simple as that.”
And for Northwestern, getting a W here is critical, because a couple trap games lay ahead.
What is that Weird Scheduling Quirk for the ‘Cats?
If Northwestern’s schedule had a theme song, it would be Alicia Bridges “I love the nightlife, I like to boogie, on the disco rooooooooouuuund.” Their first four games, also the only kickoff times set as of now, are all evening.
This is 6:30pm while the season opener versus South Dakota St., the trip to Indiana and the new Ryan Field opener are all 7pm.
Are we Saying Goodbye to the Temporary Lakeside Stadium?
Yes, in that this will be NU’s final game at the very picturesque Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. They have gone 7-4, thus far, at the beautiful venue built adjacent to Lake Michigan and the lakeside trail.
No, in that the stadium isn’t going anywhere after this, it will still be used for other sports and events; as well as a Wildcats practice facility. Braun himself, along with his wife Kristen, actually contributed towards the funding of this facility.
He reflected on its run.
“I can’t overstate it,” he said.
“It’s been amazing. Starting with the experience for our student athletes, their families, the fact that it’s been on campus. You’ve heard me say it before, but just it was the perfect bridge to the new Ryan Field. It’s been something that, we’ll always remember for knowing it was the right way to handle it. Only at Northwestern could we have pulled something off like this.”
He then answered a reporter question on whether or not he got return on his investment.
“Absolutely. There’s so many generous people that have, helped us continue to grow as a football program and as an athletic department. And that was something that Kristen and I just felt absolutely convicted on.
“In fact, this was what was right for our program in this time.”
What is the Difference Between Coach Prime and Coach Sanders?
When you strip away all the celebrity hype, and the “Coach Prime” streaming series and the fact that he stars in every third commercial that airs during college football broadcasts, who is Head Coach Deion Sanders? We asked Braun to describe him, on a level that is just football.
“What I see is someone that loves his players. We’re at our best when we’re doing something out of, like, passion, something that we truly believe in. And you can just see whether it’s listening to press conferences or the way that he interacts with his team that, he’s in it to develop young men.
“And when you have a team that’s rooted in that, you’re probably going to find a team that plays really hard for something bigger than themselves.
“And we have to understand that it’s easy to talk about how talented they are, or all these transfers that they brought in. But, I mean, they’re playing resilient football.”
What is the Score Gonna Be?
Northwestern 28-27. This is just going to be one of those games where one side has Chip Kelly as their offensive coordinator, and the other side does not. And that will be enough to make up the razor thin margin of error here.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.