NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS

Final four spots are up for grabs in a few of the big conference tournaments on Friday. Arkansas is making their first quarterfinal appearance in the conference tournament in two years. South Carolina won the lone regular season meeting back in January down in Fayetteville, also by a final score of 61-52. The Cardinals won their first regular season conference title since 2014, and are hoping to win back-to-back conference tournaments. They look to make it back by taking down the Buffaloes, who they beat twice during the regular season.

Next up is a Northwestern team coming off an 80-60 loss at Purdue. “Man, they’re a good team,” Michigan assistant Saddi Washington said. Senior Pete Nance, whom Michigan was after as a high school recruit, leads Northwestern with 16.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Michigan has won four straight in the series and last lost at home to Northwestern in 2010. Game InformationWho: Northwestern Wildcats (9-8, 2-6) at Michigan Wolverines (9-7, 3-3)Where: Crisler Center (Ann Arbor, Michigan); capacity: 12,707When: Wednesday, January 26, 6:31 p.m.

Michigan football took care of business against Northwestern to set up the unbeaten in-state matchup everyone has been craving in East Lansing.

According to coach Pat Fitzgerald, the biggest test of the season awaits his team on Saturday. The Wildcats will try to knock No. 6 Michigan from the ranks of the unbeaten in Ann Arbor.

The Michigan Wolverines remain undefeated after beating the Northwestern Wildcats, 33-7, on Saturday at the Big House in Ann Arbor.

Coming off a bye week, Michigan will try to stay perfect on Saturday against Northwestern. Northwestern and Michigan last played in 2018, when Michigan fell behind 17-0 early in the second quarter before storming back for a 20-17 win. This Saturday, for the first time, the teams will play for the George Jewett Trophy, honoring the first African American to play football at each school. 6 Michigan Wolverines (6-0, 3-0) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (3-3, 1-2)When: 12:05 p.m. WatchESPN | Hulu + Live TV | Sling | YouTube TVMajor cable providers:Xfinity: Channel 2 | StreamingSpectrum: Channel 8 | StreamingDish: Channel 2 | StreamingDIRECTV: Channel 2 | Streaming*Channel numbers listed are for Michigan subscribers and may change by geographic area.

The second half of Michigan’s schedule is among the toughest in college football, but it begins Saturday with a less heralded matchup against Northwestern.

6 Michigan Wolverines will coast to victory Saturday when they take on the Northwestern Wildcats in a matchup of Big Ten teams. The over/under on the game is right around 51 points at most sportsbooks. The odds only reflect for bets placed on Michigan as there are different odds for bets placed on Northwestern. By clicking on the name of the individual sportsbooks below, you can jump right to the most current odds at each sportsbook. SPREADBarstool Sports: -24 (-109)BetMGM: -23.5 (-110)Caesar’s Sportsbook: -23.5(-110)DraftKings: -23.5 (-110)FanDuel: -23.5(-112)PointsBet: -23.5(-110)OVER/UNDERBarstool Sports: 51 (Over -113/Under -108)BetMGM: 50.5 (-110)Caesar’s Sportsbook: 51 (-110)DraftKings: 51 (-110)FanDuel: 50.5 (Over -118/Under -104)PointsBet: 51 (-110)MONEYLINEBarstool Sports: -2500BetMGM: -2000Caesar’s Sportsbook: -2400DraftKings: -1750FanDuel: -3000PointsBet: -2000

Michigan football enjoyed a stress-free bye this weekend, but hopefully the players and coaches were paying attention to what happened around the Big Ten.

23 carries, 264 yards, 4 TDs and one big win for the Michigan State football team as Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III runs all over the Northwestern Wildcats to get the Spartans off to a winning start in 2021. In episode 46 of MLive’s Spartan Confidential podcast, reporters Brandon Champion, Kyle Austin and Matt Wenzel react to Michigan State’s impressive season-opening win. Topics include Walker’s performance, Payton Thorne getting the start at QB, deep rotations at offensive line, defensive line and linebacker and Xavier Henderson’s standout performance at safety. The guys also look ahead to the home-opener against FCS Youngstown State and discuss takeaways from Kyle’s interview with new athletic director Alan Haller, who hinted at potential schedule changes and adjustments to the Michigan State gameday experience. You can listen to the episode here or by using the player below.

Hunter Johnson watched from the sideline as Northwestern won seven of nine games last season, including a Citrus Bowl triumph.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan football announced future games against Northwestern will now be played for a rivalry trophy named after George Jewett. The George Jewett Trophy is the first rivalry game trophy named for an African American player in FBS history, according to U of M.Jewett played fullback, halfback and kicker for the Wolverines during the 1890 and 1892 seasons. “We are proud to partner with our peer institution, Northwestern, to recognize and honor an African American pioneer in George Jewett. The George Jewett Trophy will become the 16th rivalry game trophy in the Big Ten. The first George Jewett Trophy game will be Oct. 23, 2021, in Ann Arbor.

Franz Wagner #21 and Jace Howard #25 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrate after winning a college basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Crisler Arena on January 3, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Michigan Wolverines won the game 85-66. The truth of the matter is, most people probably didn’t watch any Michigan games in 2020, unless they tuned in for overtime against Oakland. 19 Northwestern, a team that already has wins over Michigan State and Ohio State, as well as on the road against Indiana. It’s entirely possible that in four Big Ten games, Michigan has played the three worst teams in the league: Nebraska, Penn State and Maryland.

Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini watches as his team takes on the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on November 24, 2018 in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern defeated Illinois 24-16. - Illinois pulled off arguably the biggest upset of the college football season last week when the 31-point underdog Fighting Illini rallied to stun No. Illinois will now try to make it two wins in a row when it travels to Purdue on Saturday in the battle for the Cannon Trophy. PREDICTION: Purdue 34, Illinois 24More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

Johnathan Lloyd #5 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrates his touchdown with his teammates against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half on September 8, 2018 at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. The Blue Devils and Blue Raiders have taken similar roads to get to this point with both suffering lopsided defeats to top 10 teams followed by blow out wins over FCS opponents. LINE: Duke -6.5The Blue Devils and Quentin Harris proved no match for No. The Blue Devils are 37-15 in non-conference games under Cutcliffe, including wins in 20 of their last 25 out of conference contests. PREDICTION: Middle Tennessee 27, Duke 24More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

Head coach Pat Fitzgerald of the Northwestern Wildcats reacts after blocked field goal against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the fourth quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 01, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern looks to bounce back from a humbling Week 1 loss when it hosts UNLV on Saturday. LINE: Northwestern -20"The sky's not falling and I don't want to be disrespectful but we're in a one-score game with a first-time starter on the road against a top 25 team," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald told reporters. "It's an unacceptable deal because we're a better football team than that," UNLV coach Tony Sanchez told reporters. PREDICTION: Northwestern 31, UNLV 13More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

North Carolina A&T opened the season last week with a three-point win over Elon, prevailing at the buzzer for its sixth straight win, dating to last year. ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA A&T (1-0)The Aggies have not allowed more than 23 points in any of their last 22 games, dating back almost two full years. They held Elon scoreless in the fourth quarter last week to give Noel Ruiz enough opportunities to make a 52-yard field goal at the horn after missing two earlier kicks in the fourth quarter. Kylil Carter (two touchdown passes) and Elijah Bell (nine catches, including a touchdown) were among the offensive stars for North Carolina A&T in Week 1. PREDICTION: Duke 55, North Carolina A&T 13More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

Head coach Mike Jinks (C) of the Bowling Green Falcons talks to his team during a timeout in a game against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half on September 16, 2017 at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. The Wildcats won 49-7.