The Northwestern football has seen some rough times. In fact, the ‘Cats hold the Football Bowl Subdivision all-time record for longest losing streak, having lost 34 straight games from 1979-1982. But the ‘Cats have made some recent strides. Since 1995, Northwestern has gone at least .500 in Big Ten play in seven of 14 seasons, with three Big Ten championships and major bowl appearances to boot.
So why doesn’t the national media give Northwestern any respect? College football Web sites such as Rivals.com and ESPN often overlook the ‘Cats, brushing them off as jokes or easy victories when Northwestern has actually had a much more impressive decade than many other Big Ten schools.
Teddy Greenstein, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune who covers Northwestern football, said that he attributes the negative attitude to minimal coverage of the ‘Cats and Northwestern’s failure to do anything to stand out after such a horrid history.
“When you’ve been pretty good for a dozen years, it’s hard to knock out those previous 25,” Greenstein said. “When Northwestern is fourth or fifth in the Big Ten, it’s impressive but it’s not going to be something that gets the attention of the national media.”
Greenstein said that losing the Valero Alamo Bowl last year against Missouri was a lost opportunity for attention and exposure. For Northwestern to impress writers and analysts from ESPN and Sports Illustrated, the ‘Cats need to have high impact victories.
“That was a game where Northwestern had the spotlight all to itself,” Greenstein said. “It was a Monday night game with no Monday night football that night.”
However, the ‘Cats will undoubtably have more chances to win big games down the road. With potentially one of the best recruiting class in Northwestern history coming in next season to build on recent recruiting successes, the future is bright. There are a few potential difference-makers in the recruiting class of 2010, and freshman halfback Arby Fields has shown signs of brilliance, leading the Northwestern running backs in yards and touchdowns this season.
Greenstein does not think that the ‘Cats’ reputation will be changed by one electric player, though.
“Arby has had five or six moments where you go, ‘Huh. Impressive – man that’s pretty good,’” Greenstein said. “But I don’t think Northwestern is that kind of team where it’s going to be one dazzling guy. It’s going to be that one collective quality team effort.”
With head coach Pat Fitzgerald under contract until 2015, Greenstein said that Northwestern has the potential to build a nationally recognizable program behind him.
“I can’t think of a coach in the country who is a better fit for his school than Pat Fitzgerald,” Greenstein said. “He’s young, he’s energetic and he seemingly loves everything about Northwestern.”