Northwestern has another chance to become bowl eligible at Wrigley Field Saturday against Minnesota. Zach breaks down the Golden Gophers, from their stellar edge rushers to their lackluster offensive firepower. Then, he gives three keys to the game for the Wildcats and, of course, makes his final score prediction. Can Northwestern break the Wrigley Field curse?

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The fallout of Northwestern’s disappointing loss to Michigan at Wrigley Field continues to hover above the program going into this week’s matchup against Minnesota, so its time to have the conversation: does David Braun’s rhetoric of competing for a Big Ten championship align with his coaching decisions on the sideline? Noah Coffman joins Zach on the show to debate the head coach’s decision-making and more about the program’s standing within the conference. Then, they pivot to discuss Northwestern field hockey getting back to a fifth straight Final four, where No. 1 North Carolina awaits.

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Northwestern nearly stole a win against Michigan thanks to five turnovers and some timely scores late, but the Wrigley Field curse continues. Zach breaks down the loss and why it felt so aggravating, from the horrible production in the red zone to an inability to capitalize off of the Wolverines’ mistakes. Plus, he gives his thoughts on why this game exemplifies how Northwestern can continue to compete with the Big Ten’s top teams and his reaction to David Braun’s fiery press conference.

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Northwestern is set to play some Friday night lights football at the L.A. Coliseum against USC and Zach is joined by Sports Illustrated writer and editor Nick Selbe to preview the matchup. The two discuss how they feel about this being a conference game before diving into the Trojans, who nearly had their season completely derailed with a scare at Nebraska. They dive deep on the performance of quarterback Jayden Maiava this season and whether or not he’s capable of being the next program great, while also highlighting the star-studded cast of skill players around him. Finally, they emphasize the biggest weakness of USC’s defense before making picks and predictions.

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Though there’s still plenty of action left on the gridiron, Zach turns his focus to the hardwood of Welsh-Ryan Arena with Northwestern men’s basketball set to get underway. He begins by giving an overview of the Wildcats going into what may seem like a transition year, yet is anything but (2:10). Then, Sports Illustrated college basketball reporter Kevin Sweeney joins the show to break down what we’ve seen from the program’s two exhibitions as well as some of the key additions for Chris Collins, like Jayden Reid, Arrinten Page and Tre Singleton (16:34). Finally, the pair discusses Northwestern’s place on the bubble and in the pecking order of the Big Ten.

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It’s mailbag week! You’ve got questions, the Bleav in Northwestern podcast has answers. To help go through the questions, Zach is joined by Wildcat Report’s Matt Shelton and the pair covers a number of topics in football and men’s basketball. Was Nebraska the most disappointing loss of David Braun’s tenure? Is Preston Stone not what we all thought he was? Will Northwestern still make a bowl game? What will Chris Collins’s lineup be on opening night? Who’s the x-factor for basketball this season? Zach and Matt cover all of these questions and more on this week’s episode.

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Northwestern improved to a shocking 5–2 by dominating Purdue in the final game at the lakeside stadium this past weekend, setting up a showdown with Nebraska in Lincoln. Zach begins by lauding the defense for its effort in the shutout of the Boilermakers, particularly pointing to the defensive line’s dominance (1:44). He then explains why this was Preston Stone’s worst game since Oregon, but why the offense has been able to maintain some momentum during this four-game win streak. Next, he touches on the end of an era for Northwestern’s temporary stadium (21:11) before breaking down what he’s seen from a vulnerable Nebraska team. Finally, he makes his predictions and pick for this Saturday’s showdown.

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Anything is possible! Northwestern went on the road and downed a reeling Penn State team with a complete team performance on Saturday for one of the program’s most shocking wins of the past decade. Zach breaks down the game, lauding Preston Stone for his best game as a Wildcat and Zach Lujan for his masterful game plan (1:15). He then emphasizes NU’s resiliency and how David Braun rallied his guys after an up-and-down start to the season (9:48). Finally, he goes over the defense’s complete team effort and the one area of improvement for the ‘Cats (17:38) before contextualizing what this win means for the program and for the future of Braun and the coaching staff (25:43).

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Northwestern dominated its homecoming opponent, Louisiana-Monroe, last weekend and Zach was boots on the ground to witness another stride forward the Wildcats. Andrew Bowen and Henry Ettinger, former WNUR Sports broadcasters who were at the game alongside Zach, join the show to discuss their thoughts on the penultimate game at the lakeside stadium (2:15) before emphasizing what they liked about the offense’s showing and the playcalling on Saturday (6:28). They debate whether or not they should be concerned about the defense after the Warhawks’ opening drive and second-half comeback attempt from UCLA, before diving in on Penn State (17:51). The trio breaks down what’s happening with the Nittany Lions and makes picks for Northwestern’s trip to Happy Valley (23:15).

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Northwestern escaped a second-half scare against UCLA to nab its second win of the season and first against an FBS opponent. Zach breaks down what he liked about the Wildcats, starting with the offense’s ball control and Caleb Komolafe’s career day (1:30). He then pivots to discuss what allowed the Bruins to climb back into the game, laying the blame on the coaches for their confounding approach to putting the game away (16:57). He then defends the defense from criticism, takes a look at Anto Saka’s production and makes a score prediction for Northwestern’s homecoming game against Louisiana Monroe (28:52).

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