Northwestern Players To Watch

There are 3 games left in the season, and with Michigan sitting at 6-3 (4-1 Big Ten) there is no time to let off the gas pedal.  No. 24 Northwestern has a 7-2 record (3-2 Big Ten) and they are right on the heels of the Wolverines. It's not implausible that the Wildcats could beat Michigan, and Nebraska then Illinois on their way to Indianapolis. They are after all in the BCS rankings for the first time in almost 4 years and want to stay that way.

Northwestern has the 13th ranked rushing offense in the nation behind Kain Colter and Venric Mark. Michigan in run defense is only 44th in the country, so expect some emphasis placed on the defensive line for the Wolverines this week. I'll write more about it in my weekly prediction post, but of a lot of the game will depend on who starts at quarterback for Michigan this week. Will Denard be better healed after missing his first college career start? Or will Devin Gardner be able to shine for the second week in a row? Either way it's going to be a slobber-knocker (Thanks Jim Ross). Here's a few Wildcats to be wary of: