It appears that the Wildcats’ toughest matchup won’t be taking place amidst the tall grass of Ryan Field this year.
Rather, it will be a battle that takes place outside football facilities and in the heads of the players and personnel themselves.
While this may seem like hyperbole, the most difficult opponent Northwestern will face this year won’t be the Nittany Lions of Penn State or the Michigan Wolverines. It will be the looming threat of COVID-19 that not only hangs over Northwestern football, but over every college football program across the country.
Left and right, we’ve seen college football players exposed to COVID-19 — at least 18 down in Champaign, over 30 in Baton Rouge and even a few here in Evanston after NU’s first positive test was announced Monday (the team has suspended practices for the time being).