Northwestern University Athletics
Murphy's Mark: Busy Time for NU Athletics
11/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | General
Nov. 9, 2004
Bowl Outlook
With wins over Purdue and Penn State, our football team has put itself in good position to be bowl eligible again this year. We are also in sole position of fourth place in the Big Ten. Unlike last year, when we only needed six wins to be bowl eligible, we need to have a winning record (at least a 7-5 record) to be bowl eligible. Typically, a team must have a winning record to be bowl eligible. In 2002 and 2003, though, the NCAA permitted all schools to play 12 games (because there was an extra weekend in the fall in these years) and specifically stated that teams with 6-6 records would be eligible to go to bowl games. We are playing 12 games this year because the NCAA allows teams to play an extra game when they play Hawaii (because Hawaii would otherwise have trouble completing their schedule). So, in order to be bowl eligible, we must win two of our last three games.
In terms of the bowl picture in the Big Ten, there are currently five teams that are already bowl eligible--Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio State. Purdue must win one more game to become eligible. Since Michigan State plays Hawaii, they must also win seven games to be eligible (they must win all three remaining games). The Big Ten has tie-ins with seven bowls -- the Rose, Citrus, Outback, Alamo, Sun, Music City and Motor City. The Big Ten champion automatically goes to the Rose (unless it is selected to play in the national championship game), and then the remaining bowls (in the order listed above) select from among the bowl eligible teams based on total wins. A bowl can select a team with one less win than another team under consideration, but not two. For purposes of bowl selection, we would not be able to count a win over Hawaii (because we would have had an extra chance to win a game). Obviously, quite a bit can happen over the next few weeks, so please check our web site regularly for updates on our bowl situation.
As we did last year, our football team is playing its best at the end of the year. It's a real tribute to Randy Walker and his staff that we are in this position now. I would be remiss if I didn't mention how pleased I am that Randy is feeling much better following his myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle). It was a scary time for Randy, and it will be some time before he is completely healthy, but all signs indicate that he will make a complete recovery.
Men's Soccer
Our men's soccer team beat Wisconsin Sunday to conclude the regular season. The team is 12-4-2 and finished third in the Big Ten, our highest finish ever. We play Penn State on Thursday in Ann Arbor in the Big Ten Tournament. A good performance in the Big Ten Tournament will help ensure that our team earns an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Head Coach Tim Lenahan has done a masterful job in the remarkable turnaround of a program that until this year had not won a Big Ten regular season game since 1999. Congratulations to the team for all they've accomplished and best of luck in postseason play.
Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament
We hosted the Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament this past weekend. Although our field hockey team lost a heartbreaker in the first round (3-2 in overtime to regular season tri-champion Iowa), the weekend provided great crowds and lots of exciting action. Our staff did an excellent job running the tournament (and completely transformed the field hockey site on our lakefront complex). Associate Athletic Director Chris Boyer deserves special credit for his leadership in serving as tournament director.
WAA Event
On the weekend of November 19-20, we will hold a number of events to honor former female student athletes who competed for Northwestern under the Women's Athletic Association. These former student athletes did not receive a varsity letter for their participation from the University at the time, but will be presented with varsity letters during halftime of the Illinois football game. It will be great to welcome those former athletes back to campus and to provide them with this long overdue honor.
