Full circle moments are awesome in sports. We’ve got multiple on our hands.
Last time Northwestern was ranked was in the Pat Fitzgerald era. Now, the ‘Cats travel to East Lansing to face their former head coach, while Aidan Chiles goes head-to-head with a quarterback he lost the starting job to a year ago at Michigan State.
So much to unpack. Here’s what Inside NU staff thinks about Saturday’s marquee.
Charlie Jacobs: (34-16 Northwestern)
This Northwestern team is on a roll offensively and faces a Michigan
State team that has struggled as of late. I know there is heightened emotion because of Aidan Chiles going back to his old school and Northwestern taking on Pat Fitzgerald, but the talent of these two rosters is day and night. Northwestern should win comfortably, even on the road.
Whitley Williams: (28-17 Northwestern)
Never underestimate an opponent with nothing to lose.
Pat Fitzgerald’s Michigan State team has had an unremarkable season up to this point. Winless through three Big Ten contests, the Spartans need a spark. Defined by a plethora of injuries and tough losses, the only things favoring them this weekend are the lack of expectations. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are ranked for the first time in half a decade, and rightfully so. The offense has been clicking with opponents struggling to contain their dominant rushing attack.
The Spartan personnel has been gutted. Cam Edwards suffered a season-ending injury against Nebraska. Additionally, Michigan State will be without their four top cornerbacks and three linebackers. A terrifying combination against a stellar Aidan Chiles who has completed over 70% of his passes for 1,172 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
In many ways, this matchup feels like a rivalry game. The tension will be palpable. Fitzgerald will face the program he once led, bringing mixed emotions and history. Chiles will return to a familiar place at Spartan Stadium. If Chiles keeps a clear mind, the Wildcats should leave East Lansing with their third straight win.
Zac Penson: (27-14 Northwestern)
The AP Poll has finally come through for Northwestern – now ranked 25th in the country. For the first time in the David Braun era, the ‘Cats are a nationally recognized team.
However, this game is nothing to take lightly. With Aidan Chiles visiting his former home and longtime NU player and coach Pat Fitzgerald now the head man at Michigan State, Northwestern fans have quite a rivalry to look forward to this weekend. And while the Wildcats have surely shown their ability to win at home, Big Ten road games are the real deal. Northwestern has something to prove this weekend.
Northwestern fans need to brace for the absences of TE Luke Dehnicke and DB Robert Fitzgerald, who are listed as doubtful ahead of tomorrow’s matchup and two major pieces that were missing (Fitzgerald partly, Dehnicke for the entire contest) in the Ball State game last weekend. Overall, I just don’t believe Michigan State has it in themselves to beat a now ranked opponent, especially after a blowout loss to Wisconsin two weeks ago and losing in overtime to Illinois last weekend. I have the ‘Cats in this battle on the road.
Jackson Pick: (27-24 Northwestern)
On paper, this should be another comfortable win for Northwestern, who head to East Lansing with plenty of momentum after entering the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2020. However, the combination of Aidan Chiles returning to play Michigan State and Pat Fitzgerald sitting on the opposing sideline makes this matchup feel like something closer to a rivalry game, where anything can happen. The Spartans will be playing with plenty of extra fire after a controversial overtime loss against Illinois and I expect them to be a tougher out than expected with all of the emotional factors in play. Ultimately, I believe the talent and coaching of the Wildcats will come through in the end, and a game-winning Jackson Kleather field goal as time expires will allow NU to escape with a victory in classic “Cardiac ‘Cats” fashion.
Donovan West: (34-10 Northwestern)
Many of my colleagues know this, but I was raised with green and white in my blood. Spartan football was everything I knew for the first decade and a half of my life. I grew up idolizing the Mark Dantonio mentality.
I say this because what I’ve watched over the past five years has been nowhere near the standard of Spartan football. The Michigan State program is irrelevant right now, with no end in sight to its misery. Alessio Milivojevic has not been the star quarterback many thought he would be, and Cam Edwards going down for the year with an injury has essentially ended MSU’s season.
Northwestern will run the ball all over Spartan Stadium on Saturday. Aidan Chiles and David Braun will have great fun laughing at the deflated green-and-white faces.
As for me, I’ll celebrate in the moment as my blood continues to turn purple, but when alone, I might shed a tear over the death of a program.
Kussh Mital: (41-13 Northwestern)
Northwestern is better than Michigan State in every way. Michigan State has lost to Nebrakska by 18 points and to Wisconsin by 28 points. Northwestern is at the caliber, if not better, than both of those teams. Northwestern is going to run all over the Michigan State defense, and Aidan Chiles will torch his former team.
The only thing I would watch for is how Northwestern’s pass defense will look. It has looked suspect for weeks now, which can mostly be attributed to injuries. If the secondary can get healthy, or there are scheme adjustments to hide the defense’s deficiencies, I want to see immense improvement on that side of the ball.
Northwestern needs to use these next two games against Michigan State and Rutgers to make this a well oiled machine that’s firing on all cylinders by the time the Oregon game rolls around. I expect that to start this week against former head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Northwestern in a steamroll
Matt Campbell: (31-17 Northwestern)
To finish us up, I’ll use one simple statistic.
Northwestern is the fourth best rushing offense in the Big Ten this year, averaging 203 yards per game. Michigan State? Third worst in the conference, averaging 124.2 per game.
The main theme I’m getting at here is the offensive line: for the past two seasons, it’s been one of Northwestern’s biggest strengths. For the past two seasons, it’s been Michigan State’s biggest weakness.
Beyond the Pat Fitzgerald storylines or the Aidan Chiles revenge game, the game of football is decided in the trenches. Can you protect your quarterback? Can you widen gaps for your running backs? Can you seal the edge? For NU, all of those questions have been answered with a resounding yes. For MSU, it’s been a deflating no.
And that’s where I’m grounding my score prediction. Give me Northwestern on the road.
