As glam metal legends Poison sang in Fallen Angel: "it's like heads they win, tails you're gonna lose." Northwestern Interim Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator David Braun has found himself in a situation like that. He's kind of in a no-win situation this season. He came to Evanston, to be just the DC, and he did so having never held a job, or any sort, at the power five … [Read more...] about David Braun Has Impossible Task at Northwestern this Season
Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern Football: Brutally Honest 2023 Season Preview
It sounds kind of crazy, but it is true- Northwestern football could be a better team this year than they were last year. Or at least we should see 2023 Northwestern football finish with a better record than 2022 Northwestern football did. Yes, despite the hazing scandal, the Pat Fitzgerald firing and all of the fallout from that (and there is still much more to come), the … [Read more...] about Northwestern Football: Brutally Honest 2023 Season Preview
Pat Fitzgerald Now Begins His Brand Rehabilitation
What is next for ousted and disgraced former Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald? Will his life after the hazing scandal be a la Tim Beckman? Or something more like Urban Meyer? Or somewhere in between? We've explored this idea, in guest segments on both ESPN Radio and WGN News Now. … [Read more...] about Pat Fitzgerald Now Begins His Brand Rehabilitation
Ex-ESPN Pres. John Skipper Predicted College Sports Reckoning in 2014
The total chaos that is unfolding right now in college sports may or may not have been predicted by John Skipper, then President of ESPN, back in 2014. The comments he made almost a decade ago, although vague, were prescient in the grand scheme of things. Let's flash back to that now, and then consider how those remarks stand up today, given what's going on in regards to … [Read more...] about Ex-ESPN Pres. John Skipper Predicted College Sports Reckoning in 2014
R.I.P. Rose Bowl, College Sports “Leagues” and “Conferences”
The Rose Bowl game will still go on, but in non-College Football Playoff years it will never be anything close to what it once was now that the Pac-10 (later the Pac-12) is officially dead. The whole concept of a Big Ten champion versus Pac 10 champion was ingrained in the very DNA of the Rose Bowl game. It will still be held, but when it's not in a CFP format will exist in a … [Read more...] about R.I.P. Rose Bowl, College Sports “Leagues” and “Conferences”
White Sox Flop Brian Anderson Takes Over Embattled Northwestern Program
F. Scott Fitzgerald is infamously misquoted whenever people claim he once said "there are no second acts in American life." They just didn't understand what Fitzgerald meant. We'll now see if Brian Anderson the baseball coach is superior to the Brian Anderson the Major League Baseball player. Anderson, the 15th overall pick in the 2003 MLB Draft, and a five tool player if … [Read more...] about White Sox Flop Brian Anderson Takes Over Embattled Northwestern Program
Lovie Smith to Northwestern is Not a Bad Idea at All
Lovie Smith as your next Northwestern head football coach? Seriously? The idea might seem lazy, and even crazy, at first, but the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. We're not the first media outlet to float this idea, and we certainly will not be the last either. Northwestern football fans don't want to hear this, but it's reality- much more pain lies ahead. … [Read more...] about Lovie Smith to Northwestern is Not a Bad Idea at All
Fired in Disgrace by Northwestern, Pat Fitzgerald Legacy Tainted
Northwestern has officially fired head football coach Pat Fitzgerald, with the decision coming after reports from former players of alleged hazing and a “culture enabling racism.” Fitzgerald is unquestionably the greatest coach in school history, and definitely on the Mt. Rushmore of all-time Northwestern football players. He leaves, not by own his accord, and the utter … [Read more...] about Fired in Disgrace by Northwestern, Pat Fitzgerald Legacy Tainted
Kafkaesque: Mike Kafka a Leading Northwestern Coaching Candidate
In the immortal words of Ron Burgundy, "boy that escalated quickly." Northwestern has fired head coach Pat Fitzgerald, and we have more on his complicated and tainted legacy here. For now, NU needs a new head coach, for the first time since 2006. Is New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka the guy? Will things get Kafkaesque in Evanston, with a metamorphosis at the … [Read more...] about Kafkaesque: Mike Kafka a Leading Northwestern Coaching Candidate
Contradictory Northwestern Football Team Statement Hurts Pat Fitzgerald
It is actually quite possible that Pat Fitzgerald does not coach a single Northwestern football game ever again. That idea would have sounded impossible as recently as Thursday, but now the scandalous situation in Evanston is escalating rapidly. Honestly, I have no idea if he was aware or not of the deplorable incidents that were alleged to have occurred on his watch. I'll … [Read more...] about Contradictory Northwestern Football Team Statement Hurts Pat Fitzgerald