Led by one of the brightest stars in the college football universe, the Northwestern Wildcats are on the ascent. A former All-American linebacker for the Wildcats, Pat Fitzgerald has brought renewed vitality and winning tradition to a program that traces its roots all the way back to 1876. These are heady days in Evanston, Illinois. Pat Fitzgerald is building his program to compete at the highest levels. A Big Ten Contender at Last Playing most of their regular season games in one of the best football conferences in the land, things haven’t come easy for the Northwestern Wildcats historically. There have been long stretches without much to celebrate on Chicago’s north shore… but no longer. Following a remarkable 2012 campaign that saw the Wildcats climb into the top 25, Northwestern broke a long and painful drought when they defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Gator Bowl. It was their first victory in a Bowl Game since defeating Cal Bears in the 1949 Rose Bowl. 2013 and Beyond With five straight Bowl Game appearances and a reputation as one of the top academic institutions on the planet, Pat Fitzgerald and his staff are starting to attract some big time national recruits. Entering the 2013 college football season, the Northwestern Wildcats are one of the chic picks to contend for a Big Ten crown. Though they’ll have to deal with Urban Meyer and the rejuvenated Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines and Wisconsin Badgers, the Wildcats are loaded on both sides of the ball. Sharing duties on offense, quarterbacks Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian lead the charge for Fitzgerald’s team and they’re a lethal combination. If they can learn from a couple of tough, late losses in 2012, the Wildcats have a legitimate shot of taking down the Legends Division. Guaranteed Savings on Wildcats Tickets Just as he did as an All-America linebacker for the Wildcats in the 90s, Pat Fitzgerald has brought Northwestern into contention in the Big Ten. Don’t miss a chance to score guaranteed savings on Wildcats tickets from ScoreBig.com. After breaking the bowl drought in 2012, the Wildcats are aiming for more in 2013. Be there.