Unfortunately, we can’t be at Big Ten meetings this week, due to the “not having a car” issue. But fortunately, people with Twitter are there, and we recommend you give some of them a follow: @TeddyGreenstein, @ESPN_BigTen, @ScottDochterman, @Mark_Synder, @mattcharboneau, @CEmmaFox, @GoldsteinNU and probably others I’m missing. Another fortunate development: Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez is there, and has apparently decided he’s the Big Ten’s new unofficial spokesperson. We’ll recap the latest news here, give you our reaction and let you know the context for what it all means.

2014 Football Schedule

The first piece of news is that the Big Ten’s 2014 football schedule will be released soon. Originally, Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said it would be released on Wednesday, but the Big Ten said that’s not true.The schedule will reverse in 2015, then a new schedule will be made in 2016 when the Big Ten shifts to a nine-game league slate. The 2014 season will be the first in which the Big Ten uses its new divisions, so we already know six of Northwestern’s conference games will come against West Division teams — Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Purdue and Wisconsin.

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After Illinois announced that it would be holding its Chicago alumni event at World of Beer in Evanston, Northwestern fans were more than a little bit irritated at the Illini’s plans. After all, Evanston isn’t Chicago — the real Chicago has an Illini bar — and it was a clear move by Illinois to try to rustle some feathers at their rival school “up north.” NU fans were even more upset at World of Beer for agreeing to host such an event.

A group of Northwestern fans in the “Wildside” student group made a Facebook group about the event and planned to protest it from outside the bar. Some of the 285 people who said they were “attending” even planned to buy $25 tickets to crash the party from inside. So after all the backlash, World of Beer decided to cancel the event, and sent us this in response (please excuse the typos. It was sent from an iPhone):

We’re pleased to announce that InsideNU will be adding football and basketball forums to our site, giving Northwestern fans another great place to discuss NU sports. Both forums will be completely free and can be accessed on the site’s main menu.

You can register for the forums by clicking here.

You, the readers, are who allow our site to function, and we want you to be more included in the conversation than you are now. The message boards will allow you to become directly involved in the conversation with us better than the current comment system does (that comment system will remain beneath articles).

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As Northwestern sports have becoming increasingly relevant over the past few years, the University of Illinois’s spot as the “big brother” of the two has been put in jeopardy. Now, the Illini want to make it clear that they aren’t ready to relinquish the title.

It’s been a back-and-forth battle between the two schools, both of which have said that their moves are not a response to the other’s. NU became “Chicago’s Big Ten Team,” and Illinois later came out with a campaign of its own: “Our State, Our Team.” While the ‘Cats have partnered with the Cubs for a series of Wrigley Field games, the Illini have scheduled a football game of their own at Soldier Field.

It seemed like simply an aggressive battle for the city of Chicago until the orange and blue’s most recent move. As a part of the aforementioned campaign, they scheduled a coaches caravan that will come through the Windy City on May 8. That’s not the odd part. What’s interesting is that at the end of the day, the coaches will host a reception in good old Evanston. Instead of any downtown locations, they chose World of Beer on Sherman Ave.

Although it’s unlikely that a major fuss will be made over it, the decision will surely raise a few eyebrows. Northwestern’s student section — the NU Wildside — has already created a Facebook group of students hoping to crash the Illini’s party. This clearly wasn’t an accident; Illinois knows exactly what it is doing. It isn’t playing any dirty pool with this move, but maybe just trying to quietly send a message to the Northwestern athletic department. Just don’t expect the Wildcat coaches to answer with a trip down to Champaign.

by Callie Counsellor (@CCounsellor)

What Erin Fitzgerald is doing on the field may not surprise anyone, but it is highly impressive nonetheless.

The senior scored 11 goals in to lead No. 4 Northwestern (7-1, 2-0 ALC) to two wins this week, a 15-12 victory over Navy on Monday and a 16-3 rout of Harvard on Saturday.

“She’s just working really hard on the field,” coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “She’s all over the place, getting caused turnovers, scoring goals, making plays. She’s really been a leader for us.”

In the last four games, Fitzgerald has notched 21 goals, giving her a total of 28 for the year. She has been able to fill the offensive void left by NU’s all-time leading scorer Shannon Smith, who graduated last year and now serves as the head coach of Hofstra’s women’s lacrosse team.

Fitzgerald’s five goals against Navy (8-1, 2-0 Patriot) helped the Wildcats pull away in the final 14 minutes.

After an initial 2-0 lead by Navy, the two teams traded leads throughout the first half and for the first 15 minutes of the second, with neither team gaining more than a two-point advantage.

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by Kevin Trahan (@k_trahan)

Northwestern announced this morning that Bill Carmody has been fired, so it’s time to start the search for a replacement. We’ve put together a list of potential candidates, with pros and cons to each one.

Chris Collins — Duke assistant coach

Pros: Collins is the clear favorite among Northwestern fans. He’s from Northbrook, Ill., and currently coaches under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke. It has the potential to be a “big name” hire, and Collins is a young guy who has the reputation for being a great recruiter, especially in the Chicago area. Some speculated that he may not be interest in the job, but Teddy Greenstein reports that he does.

Cons: Collins doesn’t have experience as a head coach, and other Duke assistants haven’t done particularly well at their new jobs. The “recruiting Chicago” aspect may also be overblown, since it’s much easier to recruit to Duke than NU, despite the difference in proximity.

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by Kevin Trahan (@k_trahan)

After 13 years, the Bill Carmody era comes to an end in Evanston. Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips was left with an extremely difficult, and controversial decision — fire Carmody, who was dealt an incredibly difficult hand this season, or retain him for one more year. Ultimately, he chose the latter, and now a new era will begin at NU.

While an aura of newness in Evanston certainly brings about hope, a new coach doesn’t necessarily mean more success. That’s especially true at Northwestern, where there are a lot of issues other than the head coach that are holding the program back. A new coach may help, but in order to get the best possible candidate to Evanston, the school must address these concerns.

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