College Football Playoff Rankings 2018: Top 25 projections for Week 14

Northwestern barely beat Purdue in the season opener, then lost three straight non-conference games to start the year 1-3 in September. But Pat Fitzgerald’s team punched back over the rest of the regular season, capping the year with a 24-16 victory over state rival Illinois to move to 8-4. With the win, the Wildcats kept alive hopes not just of a Big Ten championship but also their second straight 10-win season.

Clayton Thorsen threw for just 110 yards on 12-of-18 passing, though the veteran did throw two touchdowns and rush for another score. More importantly, Thorsen did not turn the ball over either through the air or on the ground. The running game was buoyed by the hard rushing of Isaiah Bower, who finished the day with 166 yards on 18 carries.

Now Northwestern should remain in the mid-teens of the next College Football Playoff Top 25 ahead of the Big Ten championship game against Ohio State. If they take down the Buckeyes and win the Rose Bowl against the Pac-12 champion, they will put together the first back-to-back 10-win seasons in school history.