Just hand Big Ten coach of the year honors to Northwestern’s David Braun and be done with it.
Ohio State’s Ryan Day isn’t the guy even though his Buckeyes are 11-0. Sure, they’ve met every challenge so far. But they’re getting ready to lose at Michigan next weekend — doesn’t everybody know that? — and, besides, Day was on third base when he took over for Urban Meyer. Just ask the beloved coach of That Team Up North.
And speaking of Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, whose Wolverines likewise are unbeaten, talk about a coach who barely has seen game days this season. Captain Khakis has spent so much time on the suspended list, he’ll have to settle for coach-of-his-underground-bunker honors.
The only other possibility — remote, indeed — is Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, whose Hawkeyes are 9-2 despite fielding an FBS-worst offense that resembles 11 hunters caught in bear traps. He gets points for winning anyway but deductions for making his son offensive coordinator.
Braun has a 6-5, bowl-bound team after a 23-15 win against Purdue, and the whole thing is a miracle. Northwestern was 4-20 over the last two seasons before he took over, a fact we’ve pointed out some 1.4 billion times in recent weeks. Would Pat Fitzgerald have fared this well? Count me among the many who figured this Wildcats team would be even worse than Fitzgerald’s last two.
“I don’t blame anyone [for thinking that],” Braun said, “but I’d be lying to you if I told you there weren’t some eye rolls.”
There it is — Braun’s first little bit of smack talk. A long time coming.
He’s the Big Ten coach of the year, and all that’s left is for it to be made official. Not bad for a cat who used to lug an “interim” tag around. …
That Northwestern went 5-1 at Ryan Field this season makes it all the more impressive. You had to be there to see how empty the stands were. The Big Ten Network’s shots of Saturday’s “field storming” were extra-extra-tight for a reason.
Next come two years of home games at Soldier Field and Wrigley Field, one assumes, as the stadium in Evanston is torn down and rebuilt. Visiting fan bases might enjoy it. Forget about home-field advantage, not that Northwestern even knows what that is. …
Illinois is at 5-6 with one game left — at home against Northwestern — after a 15-13 loss at Iowa. The Illini should have won that game, but predictable play calling and poor execution nailed them as it has done too many times on coach Bret Bielema’s watch. This has been a dud of a season, though a win Saturday and a bowl game would make things feel a bit better. Still, that sound you just heard was Iowa batting down another Illini pass because the whole world knew what was coming. …
Notre Dame’s journey to 8-3 has been underwhelming, but quarterback Sam Hartman gives us something exciting to watch for in the regular-season finale at Stanford. Fourth on the FBS career list for passing touchdowns at 132, he needs three more to move into third place. So the Irish have that going for them. …
Here’s to former Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill, who is just plain great at what he does. A few years ago, New Mexico State nearly shuttered its football program. Kill took over an absolute nothingburger — maybe the worst program in the country — and made it sing. The latest: a 31-10 upset galore at Auburn as a 26-point underdog. The Aggies have won seven in a row and are going bowling for the second straight time. …
Georgia is a machine. The Bulldogs fell behind 7-0 on the first play at Tennessee, then instantly clicked into all-out route mode. They will be No. 1 in the next College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday.
After that? Bank on Ohio State staying at 2 and Michigan remaining at 3. The big question comes after that, current No. 4 Florida State (11-0) having been struck by extreme misfortune — a season-ending leg injury to superstar quarterback Jordan Travis in a win against cupcake North Alabama. The bet here is 11-0 Washington, coming off a hard-fought win at ranked Oregon State, moves up from 5 to 4. It’s a rough business. …
My Heisman five if I were voting today: 1. LSU QB Jayden Daniels, 2. Oregon QB Bo Nix, 3. Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr., 4. Washington QB Michael Penix Jr., 5. Florida State QB Jordan Travis.
