Once Again, Northwestern Has Turned It Around

Not two full seasons since beating Northwestern in the Rose Bowl, USC is struggling to return to the level it occupied for so long in college football. Northwestern already has.

Temporarily, it hopes.

The Wildcats are 2-5 with four consecutive losses, and over the next three Saturdays must face Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State.

It’s hard to figure because Coach Gary Barnett has parlayed two consecutive Big Ten Conference championships into outstanding recruiting classes.

Maybe, as some here suggest, the Dyche Curse is to blame.

Northwestern’s home was known as Dyche Stadium until this season, when the university, breaking a 71-year-old promise to the Dyche family, changed it to honor a generous booster.

Whatever, the bloom is off that 1996 Rose Bowl. Northwestern football players no longer can do no wrong.

Ask defensive end Keith Lozowski, who insulted about half the student body a few weeks ago by saying he hadn’t seen anyone on campus who could win the Miss America contest.

He presumably hadn’t seen Northwestern student Kate Shindle. She won it.

Shindle will serve as grand marshal for Northwestern’s homecoming festivities this weekend.

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Northwestern probably will not be favored again until its Nov. 8 game at Illinois, which is 0-6. . . .

Northern Illinois is 0-6. . . .

The Bears are 0-7. . . .

Where have you gone, Red Grange, Amos Alonzo Stagg, George Halas, Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, Walter Payton? . . .

Bear fans are hurling so much abuse, not to mention more tangible items, at Coach Dave Wannstedt that he no longer allows his wife and daughter to sit in the stands at Soldier Field. . . .

But he has retained his optimism and his sense of humor. . . .

When Wannstedt said this week the Bears’ goal is to win their remaining nine games, a reporter scoffed. . . .

“What do you want me to say our goal is,” Wannstedt said, “to make a two-point conversion?” . . .

Former USC offensive coordinator Mike Riley says all he wants to do as Oregon State’s head coach is to turn around the program the way Barnett did at Northwestern and Bill Snyder did at Kansas State. . . .

“Those guys are my heroes,” says Riley, who’ll bring a 3-2 record into the Rose Bowl on Saturday when the Beavers play UCLA. . . .

If Jerry Jones is correct that the NFL’s television contract will double to more than

$2 billion a year, that will pretty much eliminate the concept in pro football of a small-market team. . . .

It’s also additional evidence for NFL owners who don’t believe they need Los Angeles. . . .

I’d guess the only market we have a distinct advantage over right now is Memphis. . . .

Memo to Joe Bugel: Don’t let Al Davis watch the Super Bowl. . . .

After the one two years ago, he signed Larry Brown. . . .

After the one last year, he signed Desmond Howard. . . .

Although the Atlanta Braves have been involved in the National League championship series six consecutive years and have only one World Series championship to show for it, it’s probably not fair to call them the Buffalo Bills of baseball. . . .

They’re more like Greg Norman. . . .

On the day after umpire Eric Gregg redefined the strike zone, Florida Manager Jim Leyland said he was unaware of the media controversy. . . .

“To be honest, I haven’t watched anything today but Barney Fife,” he said. “He didn’t say anything about it.” . . .

Of course not. Down in Mayberry, the folks are still talking about Dean Smith. . . .

Former USC women’s coach Linda Sharp says the only player she has seen in college basketball who compared to Cheryl Miller is Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil. . . .

Because of knee injuries, she’s not the same player she was while winning two Naismith awards at Texas in 1987 and ’89. . . .

She is, however, the only American Basketball League all-star the Long Beach StingRays will have in their lineup when they open the season Friday night at the Pyramid against San Jose. . . .

If Robinson, 62, is concerned he’s having difficulty relating to today’s athletes, he should seek advice from Noble Threewitt. . . .

The trainer is 84 years older than Old Topper, the horse he will saddle for Sunday’s Norfolk Stakes for 2-year-olds at Santa Anita.

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While wondering if Peter Angelos really would fire Davey Johnson, I was thinking: I was relieved to hear Kevin Garnett say his $128-million contract isn’t about the money, Tony Danza is more believable on television as a bad boxer than as a good sportswriter, I have no clue how USC will play against Notre Dame.