Tag: Northwestern Wildcats

Where Penn State lands in USA TODAY Sports’ 2024 Big Ten football preseason poll

USA TODAY’s preseason Big Ten media poll has been released. Here is what 13 beat writers see the conference shaking out in 2024.

The USA TODAY Sports Network released its 2024 Big Ten football preseason poll on Monday ahead of the conference media days this week in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The pool takes votes from 13 beat writers who cover the conference for USA TODAY. This is the first edition of the poll featuring the 18-team Big Ten as it enters its first season of expanded play. Newcomers Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC are likely to make a major impact on the season, with the Ducks being a heavy title favorite.

Related: Penn State’s 2024 schedule with game-by-game score predictions, 2024 Big Ten media days full schedule

The two teams that met in the national championship game do not even crack the top two, as 2024 represents a year of rebuilding for the Huskies and Wolverines.

It is always challenging to predict the end-of-season standings, especially with the conference entering an entirely new dynamic this year. However, both preseason polls we have looked at so far put Penn State at No. 3 in the conference.

As we near that point, here is a complete 2024 Big Ten football preseason poll courtesy of our colleagues at USA TODAY:

1. Ohio State (8 first-place votes)

2. Oregon (5 first-place votes)

3. (tie) Michigan

3. (tie) Penn State

5. USC

6. Iowa

7. Wisconsin

8. Nebraska

9. Washington

10. Rutgers

11. Maryland

12. Michigan State

13. Minnesota

14. UCLA

15. Illinois

16. Indiana

17. Northwestern

18. Purdue

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Penn State picked third in unofficial Big Ten football media poll

This year’s unofficial Big Ten media poll has been released. Here is what the Big Ten media voters think.

Most conferences organize their own official preseason media polls during the various conference media days. The Big Ten is one of the conferences that does not conduct its own preseason media poll, which is why Cleveland.com’s sports staff took up the task of organizing an annual preseason media poll. And as the Big Ten football media day event is about to get underway in Indianapolis this week, this year’s unofficial Big Ten preseason media poll is out. Penn State is expected to be among the top contenders in the conference this season according to those who voted.

Penn State received the third-most points in the media poll organized by Cleveland.com. The Nittany Lions finished with seven more points than defending Big Ten and national champion Michigan, who is fourth in the preseason poll. Ohio State was the runaway favorite among the voters with 21 first-place votes out of a possible 27. Ohio State received a total of 480 points in the voting. New Big Ten member Oregon received the remaining six first-place votes and 448 total points in the voting.

Here is a look at the 2024 Cleveland.com Preseason Big Ten Media Poll:

  1. Ohio State (*21 first-place votes) – 480 total points
  2. Oregon (6) – 448
  3. Penn State – 418
  4. Michigan – 411
  5. Iowa – 363
  6. USC – 346
  7. Wisconsin – 313
  8. Nebraska – 293
  9. Rutgers – 249
  10. Washington – 236
  11. Maryland – 185
  12. Minnesota – 183
  13. Illinois – 145
  14. Northwestern – 138
  15. UCLA – 124
  16. Michigan State – 119
  17. Indiana – 76
  18. Purdue – 65

So, how accurate has this preseason poll been over the years? Since 2011, this poll has correctly predicted the Big Ten champion just four times. The poll correctly predicted Ohio State to win the Big Ten in 2017, 2018, and 2020, and Michigan in 2023.

Voters were also asked to predict how many Big Ten teams will make the College Football Playoff, which expands to 12 teams this season from the former four-team format. Every ballot predicted Ohio State will reach the playoff, and all but one predicted Oregon will reach the playoff. A total of 18 voters believe Penn State will reach the College Football Playoff, and 15 pick Michigan to make a return to defend its national title. Three voters predicted Iowa will make the playoff.

You can view more information in the Big Ten preseason media poll via Cleveland.com.

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What is Wisconsin’s biggest trap game of 2024 football season?

What is Wisconsin’s biggest trap game of 2024 football season?

247Sports recently reviewed the biggest trap game for every Big Ten team during the 2024 football season.

The service’s pick for the Wisconsin Badgers: their contest at Northwestern on Oct. 19.

Related: Ranking every wide receiver corps in the Big Ten Conference entering 2024 season

It’s hard to disagree with the selection. Wisconsin’s game at Northwestern finishes a three-game stretch of vs. Purdue and at Rutgers. It’s the easiest stretch of Wisconsin’s season, and immediately precedes the toughest five-week period — vs. Penn State, at Iowa, bye week, vs. Oregon, then at Nebraska. Northwestern would be a classic lookahead spot before the most important stretch of the season.

Also, Wisconsin will travel to Evanston, Illinois to face the Wildcats not at Ryan Field, but instead at a temporary lakefront field. Calling it a stadium may be a bit of a reach. Finding energy on the road at Northwestern is usually a challenge. That will especially be the case with no more than a few thousand people on hand to watch the game, many in a professional capacity.

Northwestern is No. 74 in ESPN SP+ entering the season and is expected to take a significant step back after an 8-5 finish to 2023. But regardless of the Wildcats’ caliber, they always seem to give Wisconsin trouble. They even coasted to a two-touchdown win over the Badgers in 2023.

Every college football schedule needs a highlighted trap game or two. When the sport is at its best, top teams in the country could realistically lose to any opponent they play.

Northwestern’s spot on Wisconsin’s 2024 slate perfectly embodies what a trap game looks like. It’s a lookahead spot, after an easy stretch of games, against a sneaky team, in a sleepy atmosphere.

That means Luke Fickell and his team deserve credit if they travel to Northwestern’s ‘stadium’ and leave with a decisive victory.

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Duke Blue Devils earn ‘A+’ academic prestige grade on EA Sports College Football 25

According to a glimpse at the EA Sports College Football 25 recruiting mechanics, Duke earned of of the six ‘A+’ academic prestige grades.

Duke University has always been proud of its academic reputation, as evidenced by its placement in the university rankings from U.S. News this year.

EA Sports didn’t ignore the Blue Devils’ prowess in the classroom, either. The studio released another glimpse at College Football 25, the highly anticipated return of the NCAA Football video game series, on Tuesday that dove into Dynasty mode, which lets players control programs as the head coach.

One segment of the video broke down the mechanics for recruiting high school prospects, with each prospect prioritizing different things in their future school. On the right side of the screen, the game’s ‘Academic Prowess’ grades can be seen. Only six schools earned an ‘A+’ on the scale, and sure enough, the Duke Blue Devils made the cutoff.

Rice took the top spot in the rankings. Stanford, Northwestern, California, and UCLA also earned the highest grade. With the Cardinal and the Golden Bears joining the conference on Monday, three of the six ‘A+’ teams now hail from the ACC.

Michigan, Notre Dame, and Vanderbilt all barely missed the cut, causing some uproar from other fanbases who pride themselves on their education. Georgia Tech, another ACC program, also finished within the top 11.

The game will be released on July 19.

Ohio State linebacker transferring back to Northwestern

Back “home” for Glover. #GoBucks

Ohio State linebacker Nigel Glover will be transferring back to Northwestern, just one year after he made the move from the Wildcats to the Buckeyes.

It makes sense. Glover originally picked Northwestern out of high school, then transferred to OSU at the beginning of last season when head coach Pat Fitzgerald was let go. He never really carved out a niche with the Buckeyes last season as a redshirt freshman.

And with plenty of talent back with guys like C.J. Hicks, Cody Simon, Sonny Styles, Gabe Powers, etc., the writing was kind of on the wall for being stuck behind some depth this season. Marry that up with the surprise season Northwestern had under new head coach David Braun, and well — it’s probably the best scenario for Glover.

We’ll continue to stay on top of the offseason news with Ohio State football as it is shared.

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Duke football will play Northwestern on national television in September

The Blue Devils play the Wildcats on the road in the second game of the season on September 6 and Duke fans across the country can tune in.

Duke football will play Northwestern in the second game of the 2024 season on September 6, and Thursday revealed the game would be aired on FS1 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

The official game time also revealed the game would be moved to Friday. It will be the Blue Devils’ second consecutive Friday game after the first game will be played against Elon on August 30.

Duke played Northwestern at home in 2023, a 38-14 victory decided by 268 team rushing yards. The Blue Devils averaged 6.7 yards per attempt on the ground against the Wildcats, but Duke’s two leading rushers (former quarterback Riley Leonard with 97 yards and running back Jordan Waters with 65) both departed the program for the transfer portal.

The Blue Devils also learned they’d play Florida State on national television, a 7:00 p.m. game on ESPN2 on October 18, on the same day.

Duke’s season opener against Elon, also a night game at 7:30 p.m., will air on the ACC Network.

More game times will be revealed at later dates.

Florida lacrosse to play in first Final Four since 2012

This is a huge weekend for Florida lacrosse’s program as they play in their second Final Four.

The Florida lacrosse program will be competing for a national championship for just the second time in history and the first time since 2012 this weekend at Wakemed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. There, the Gators will face off with the top-seeded Northwestern Wildcats in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Final Four.

It is the 11th career meeting between these two schools, with the Orange and Blue holding the edge in the all-time series, 6-4. They have not faced each other in a full decade, however, and the last time they met was on May 17, 2014, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament

UF lost that game in overtime by a score of 12-11. This will also be the third neutral site matchup between the two programs, with Florida dropping the previous two.

Florida took down the fourth-seeded Maryland Terrapins, 15-9, last Thursday afternoon to earn the berth in the Final Four; Northwestern is making its fifth consecutive Final Four appearance this weekend.

The matchup is slated for Friday, May 24, with the opening draw set for 3 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

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Wisconsin football will not play the previously reported game at Lambeau Field in 2024

Wisconsin football will not play Northwestern at Lambeau Field in 2024

Wisconsin football will not play its game against Northwestern at Lambeau Field in 2024, contrary to a previous report.

The Wildcats released their 2024 schedule and game locations on Wednesday. Their first five home games will be at a temporary on-campus stadium, with the final two, against Ohio State and Illinois, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.

Related: The 15 games that will define the 2024 Big Ten football season

This is a story because the university recently demolished the original Ryan Field as it began a project to build a new stadium. The construction will not be finished until 2026, so the Wildcats need to find a temporary home to play its games until that date.

According to the program’s official X account, that temporary stadium will be on campus in Evanston, Illinois. Unfortunately for Wisconsin Badgers fans, there will not be a trip to Lambeau Field in 2024.

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Northwestern football to host Ohio State at Wrigley Field this fall

This will be a unique experience! #GoBucks

If you are looking for a unique Ohio State football experience this year, there’s obviously the trip out west to Eugene to watch the Buckeyes take on the Oregon Ducks, but maybe close behind that is what Northwestern informed its season ticket holders this week.

According to the Columbus Dispatch (subscription may be required), the school informed those that frequent the Wildcats on the gridiron that the matchup with Ohio State will be in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field on November 16.

That was followed with the official announcement from Northwestern so you can lock it in. It’ll be the first time OSU has played at Wrigley as the school will play most of its home games at a modified practice venue this fall as it works on a new stadium.

Wrigley has a capacity of 41,649 for baseball games, but that will change with the football configuration.

Ohio State is 65-14-1 all-time against Northwestern and has won the last ten games against the Wildcats.

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Ohio State baseball beats Northwestern to take weekend series

A series win! #GoBucks

The Ohio State baseball team assured itself a weekend series win over Northwestern by winning Friday and now Saturday. The Buckeyes got the bats going in front of the home crowd Saturday in a 14-6 win.

OSU scored the first eleven runs of the contest in the first four innings of the game before the Wildcats could even get things going. The Buckeyes put up four runs in the 1st inning, three in the 2nd, one in the 3rd inning, and three more in the 4th.

Northwestern finally tallied three runs in the top of the 5th inning but the outcome seemed to be set at that point. Ryan Miller led OSU at the plate with three hits and four RBIs.

Starting pitcher Colin Purcell (3-4) earned the win. He struck out one and gave up five runs on five hits in 6.0 innings pitched. Zach Brown struck out two and did not allow any hits in 2.0 scoreless innings of relief.

With the win, Ohio State improved its overall record to 26-22, and conference mark to 10-10. The Buckeyes will next be in action to finish up the series Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

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