By Woodrow Carroll
Northern Illinois, University of Illinois, and Northwestern, each has one regular-season football game remaining which will be played Saturday. Notre Dame, 10-0 overall and ranked No. 2 in the country in both major polls, had its final game of the regular season canceled by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Notre Dame will go directly to the ACC championship game at 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19 against Clemson. Notre Dame thrust itself into the National spotlight November 7 with a 47-40 victory over Clemson in two overtimes. The ACC canceled the scheduled makeup game with Wake Forest, “to preserve the integrity of the championship game” in fear of a Wake Forest upset victory over Notre Dame.
Northwestern, which will play host to Illinois at 11 a.m. Saturday, did not play Saturday because of an early cancellation by Minnesota in the Big Ten Conference because of COVID-19. Northwestern will play in the Big Ten championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday, likely against Ohio State if it defeats Michigan in the rivalry game.
• Having played well in suffering losses on the road to Ball State and Western Michigan the previous two weeks, the Northern Illinois Huskies came into Saturday’s home game with Toledo in an upbeat mood. In spite of an 0-4 overall record, Northern Illinois was ready to win its first game. Unfortunately, the Rockets failed to cooperate!
Northern Illinois fell, 41-24, in spite of leads of 14-7 and 21-14 in the second quarter. 24-all heading into the final 15 minutes of action, Northern.
If the Huskies, 0-5, are to break into the victory column this season, time is running out. Only a game at Eastern Michigan, 1-4, at 11 a.m. Saturday remains.. .
Ball State and Western Michigan each 4-1, the two teams Northern Illinois faced prior to Toledo, will play at 11 a.m. Saturday at Ball State for the MAC West championship. The victor will face Buffalo the MAC East representative for the MAC championship December 18 in Detroit.
Jaret Patterson, the Buffalo back who scored eight touchdowns against Kent State in a 70-41 victory, did not play because. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the Buffalo game with Ohio.
• Illinois raced out to an early advantage against Iowa Saturday only to fall victim of a spirited Hawkeyes’ comeback, 35-21.
It was 14-0 Illinois early in the second quarter before the Hawkeyes reeled off 35 straight points.
There are 14 teams in the Big Ten. Ten of those teams have two victories.
In the Big Ten West Northwestern is 5-1 and Iowa is 5-2. In the Big Ten East, Ohio State is 5-0 and Indiana is 6-1.
If Illinois, 2-4, wants to salvage a lackluster season, the 11 a.m. game with Northwestern, 5-1, will be the Illini’s last chance. They have lost five straight to Northwestern.
Northwestern is the Big Ten West champion for the second time in three seasons. In 2018 Northwestern lost to Ohio State, 45-24, in the championship game.
Among the Big Ten schools only Indiana, Penn State, Rutgers, and Iowa have skirted disaster and played all seven of their scheduled eight games, all in Conference by necessity..
Suffice to say, Ohio State needs to play Michigan at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Buckeyes are 5-0 and are required to play six games to qualify for the championship game December 19. That is as the rules presently stand.