Behind the tiny bluebird and 140-character limit that has permeated American culture lies an outlet for song lyrics, nuggets of wisdom, “Did you see that?” moments and “BREAKING NEWS.” And yes, with the creation of the #B1GCats hashtag, Twitter now presents a forum for fans of the Northwestern Wildcats football team to go absolutely nuts.
It would be hard to blame these fans, as it has been two years since the Wildcats have been 5-0. Still, to find a truly impressive year, a season not littered with collapse and heartbreak, one must go all the way back to 2000, when the ‘Cats were co-Big Ten champions.
For Northwestern fans, an opportunity to celebrate football greatness comes around about as often as a fun night at the University of Chicago. So, please excuse the student body if it is more than a little excited about the prospect of heading undefeated into a late October match up with Nebraska.
But more importantly, forgive the alumni. Those in the sports media industry, the ones most exposed to the rollercoaster that is a ‘Cats season, are not going to let the chance to finally boast about their team get away.
The bragging started just as the new season began, when Northwestern faced Syracuse in a game dubbed “The Prose Bowl” by ESPN. The game provided the alumni of two elite journalism schools, Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism and Syracuse’s Newhouse School of Communication, an opportunity to talk trash.
Following the 42-41 victory over Syracuse that left Medill grads quite satisfied, ESPN First Take's Skip Bayless (a Vanderbilt alum) and Pardon The Interruption’s Michael Wilbon (a Medill grad) went back and forth as Bayless' Commodores prepared to travel to Evanston.
Wilbon (class of 1980) tweeted after the ‘Cats escaped with a 23-13 victory over Vandy:
I just remembered; how did picking Vanderbilt to beat Northwestern work out for my man Skip Bayless?
— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) September 9, 2012
With that tweet and another shoutout from Wilbon after PTI’s "Big Finish" the following Monday, complete with a NU helmet sitting on the broadcast desk, the rush of Northwestern media mentions had begun.
Northwestern Communication alum Seth Meyers (1996) of Saturday Night Live was a student when the team made the Rose Bowl in 1995, and he mentioned the Wildcats’ success during a podcast with ESPN’s Bill Simmons in the week leading up to the South Dakota game.
“I do want to give a shout out to my 3-0 Northwestern Wildcats,” he said. “They’re playing like either North or South Dakota State. I feel pretty good.”
As the team’s record improved with victories over Boston College, South Dakota and Indiana, the #B1GCats promotion gained steam. Medill graduates Steve Weissman (2001) and Mike Greenberg (1989) also tweeted as the winning streak continued.
Greenberg in particular has reason to be excited for the team’s excellent start. In his four years at Northwestern, the program compiled a lousy 11-31-2 record.
He tweeted after Saturday's win:
That's 5-0 for Northwestern...Congratulations to Kain Colter, sensational performance...Purple Pride, baby!!!!!#B1GCats
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) September 29, 2012
The analysis from Greenberg did not stop there; he fired off four more tweets over the weekend in support of the Wildcats, including this one:
One other Northwestern note: If a player from SEC had a day like Kain Colter did yesterday (google it) they'd be talking Heisman.#B1GCats
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) September 30, 2012
The most support from proud Northwestern alums came not during or immediately after the game, but when they took to Twitter again on Sunday following the release of the Associated Press’ and USA Today’s week six college football polls. With an AP ranking of No. 24 and a USA Today ranking of No. 22, Northwestern was back in the top 25 for the first time since 2008.
Weissman tweeted:
Congrats to @coachfitz51 & Northwestern, ranked for the 1st time this year at #24 in the AP poll. #B1GCATS
— Steve Weissman (@SWeissmanESPN) September 30, 2012
Meyers took a slightly stronger position in his own tweet regarding the team’s ranking:
Welcome to the AP Top 25, Northwestern!#24 #PasadenaBound
— Seth Meyers (@sethmeyers21) September 30, 2012
While a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl may seem like a distant dream with October still looming, these alumni have a reason to be optimistic. The Wildcats have a real chance to make this season spectacular. While the now-ranked ‘Cats will likely continue to be undervalued and picked against by many in the upcoming stretch of games, the support of some of the school’s most famous alumni and the continued hard work of the team may carry the program to a point where it commands respect.
In a final tweet from Greenberg, following the victory that clinched Northwestern’s highest ranking in years, he may have captured the feelings and thoughts of alumni and students alike.
“Keep it up guys,” he tweeted. “They can’t ignore us forever.”