Unlikely Northwestern team in Big Ten lead

What's up with Northwestern?\nDon't the Wildcats know almost everyone except their mommas picked them to close the Big Ten barn door after all the thoroughbreds trounced over them?\nBefore the season began, I would have guessed the Wildcats had three (Northern Illinois, Duke and Iowa), maybe four (IU) wins in them. \nDon't look now, but those smarties from Evanston are talking Rose Bowl as they sit on top of the Big Ten.\nThey had an easy time with Northern Illinois and Duke, but then lost to No. 14 Texas Christian University.\nOne would think road games at Wisconsin and Michigan State would have put the Wildcats in their place. But like a car without its lights on, Northwestern emerged from the pitch black to surprise the entire nation with an overtime victory in Madison, Wis., and a blowout at East Lansing, Mich. \nThe 2000 Wildcats are similar to the 1995 squad that came out of E-Town as underdogs only to end up in Pasadena, Calif., for the Rose Bowl. \nBefore the 1995 season, Gary Barnett, who now coaches at the University of Colorado, had won only eight games in his first three seasons as the Wildcats' head coach. He promised 1995 would be different, but no one wanted to believe him.\nAll of a sudden, Northwestern defeated Notre Dame in South Bend. Then after a loss and another win, the Wildcats swept through the Big Ten undefeated. The Wildcats would eventually lose to USC 41-32 in the Rose Bowl, but showed everyone they could play with the big boys. \nThese days, Randy Walker coaches the team. After a 3-8 finish in his first season, he told everyone his team was improved. But all coaches say that, so no one can be sure when to believe it. \nA columnist in Chicago even made a mockery of Northwestern's optimism for the season, as he said the Wildcats should know better than to think bowl.\nAnyway, here they are 4-1, ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 1996 and needing only two more wins to go to any bowl game. Plus, they have made every scribe from here to across the nation eat his words.\nWhat I'm not sure about yet is what to make of the Big Ten.\nEither everyone is very good or they're all mediocre.\nOhio State (top 25) killed Penn State, who beat Purdue (top 25 at the time), who defeated Minnesota, who killed Illinois (top 25 at the time).\nNorthwestern massacred Michigan State, who defeated Notre Dame. And the Wildcats beat Wisconsin, who barely beat Cincinnati, who IU stomped on.\nSo does that make IU good?\nOhio State is the only overall undefeated team in conference, but the Buckeyes play Wisconsin in Madison this weekend. The Badgers are still a powerhouse and will make a run at the conference title even with two losses.\nMichigan also sits at the top of the Big Ten with a 4-1 mark, but the Wolverines play at Purdue, who cannot be happy with last week's choke against the Nittany Lions.\nPenn State (2-4) has the tools to be a contender, but has not really put them to use yet. The Nittany Lions face Minnesota, who is, surprisingly, 3-2 this weekend.\nThen, there's the Hoosiers against Northwestern. The Wildcats come off two impressive wins, but IU has won two in a row and the defense has shown signs of a pulse. \nFor those with a gambling problem, my advice is to stay away from the Big Ten betting because it's like Russian roulette; you never know when you'll be dead or a dead beat.