Welcome back to Split Zone Duo RELAUNCH WEEK 2026. The below episode is for paid subscribers, including a free preview for everyone. This week only (through Sunday), you can become a paid subscriber and take 30% off your first year of an annual subscription at this link.
Rodger Sherman joins Alex and Richard for the newest installment of “Why You’re Always Bad,” focused on the program that now owns the FBS record for losses. Northwestern has also posted a winning record over the last 18 years, won six consecutive bowl games, and is preparing to open an extremely expensive new stadium. So Rodger comes prepared to challenge the premise. The group works through the Wildcats’ dark ages, occasional breakthroughs, facility-rich “Ryan family,” small fan base, and existential need to remain inside the Big Ten. In this episode. In this episode:
4:04: Brief history of Northwestern football
9:56: Cool players and guys you should know from program history, including Trevor Siemian, Justin Jackson, and Otto Graham. Plus, a trailblazing history of Black coaches and NFL presidents
28:51: Awful moments in program history (there are many)
59:33: Do they have any money (and who, exactly, are the “Ryan family”)
1:10:09: What are their (many) non-financial difficulties?
1:20:06: Can we find one villain to blame for their struggles?
1:22:42: What is this program’s best-case scenario in the next 10 years?
1:25:58: Verdict time: What happens if the Big Ten splits?
Everyone can hear a free preview of this episode.
To get the whole thing, become a paid subscriber today. For $10 a month (or you can get a discounted annual subscription this week), subscribers get about twice as many Split Zone Duo podcasts, as well as our coach carousel reporting, deep dives on college football history, Q&A opportunities, and many more goodies as we think of them. You also help keep this show independent and ensure we’re making a podcast that puts our listeners, not anyone else, first.
Producer: Anthony Vito
