While it might not be the amount of respect Pat Fitzgerald and his team think they’ve earned, the ‘Cats are gaining more national recognition.
Following their defensively dominant win over No. 10 Wisconsin (2-1) on Saturday, Northwestern (5-0) rose from 19 to 11 in the AP Top-25 rankings, their highest rank since the 1996 season when they entered the Citrus Bowl vs. the Tennessee Volunteers ranked 11th.
In the coaches’ poll, Northwestern came in to the Wisconsin match at No. 20 and only rose to 13, somehow ranked behind fellow Big Ten surprise team Indiana, who fought admirably against Ohio State (4-0) but ultimately dropped to 4-1 on the season.