Having shuffled through three quarterbacks last week, there was one big question hanging over Northwestern.

The Wildcats were not only trying to shake off another loss. They were trying to steady themselves at the most important position.

It wasn’t clear if Hunter Johnson, Andrew Marty or Ryan Hilinski will get the call when the Wildcats host struggling Ohio on Saturday (11 a.m. BTN, 720-AM).

All three were listed as potential starters against the Bobcats (0-3) on Northwestern’s depth chart. Marty gave the Wildcats a lift after Johnson struggled last week in a 30-23 loss at Duke, only to leave the game with an upper body injury in the fourth quarter. Hilinski then took over for him.

“I thought (Marty) came in and executed really well, gave us a spark and played fairly clean football there,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “Unfortunately, he got banged up. But I thought Andrew played really well.”

Johnson won a three-way competition prior to the season after backing up Peyton Ramsey last season. He was a bright spot for Northwestern (1-2) in a season-opening 38-21 loss to Michigan State, with three touchdown passes.

Johnson’s status wasn’t really in question after he threw for 66 yards in a win over Indiana State. But a rough outing last week changed that.

Johnson lost a fumble on a sack with the ball on the Duke 2, then threw three interceptions. They led to a touchdown and two field goals as the Blue Devils grabbed a 27-0 lead.

Marty came in late in the first half and immediately led a 75-yard TD drive.

He completed 11 of 16 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for one and looked like he was on his way to another when he got stripped by Duke’s Dewayne Carter in the fourth and was injured on the play. Hlinski, who transferred from South Carolina this year, came in and threw for 34 yards.

The Bobcats have dropped their first three for the first time since an 0-4 start that included a 16-8 loss to Northwestern at Ryan Field in 2008. The two teams have not met in 13 years. This will also be Ohio’s first game against a Big Ten team since a loss to Purdue early in the 2017 season.

“Disappointment in the locker room? You bet,” coach Tim Albin said. “My heart hurts for them. But the kids are fighting. … I’m disappointed. I’m not discouraged.”

DEFENSE MATTERS

Northwestern lost its top two tacklers from last season in linebackers Blake Gallagher and Paddy Fisher as well as a first-round NFL draft pick in cornerback Greg Newsome II. So far, it’s showing.

The Wildcats have already allowed 30 points or more twice. It’s a big change for a program that boasted one of the stingiest defenses in the nation last season, allowing just 15.6 points per game. Northwestern never allowed more than 29 in winning the Big Ten West for the second time in three years.

MILLENNIUM MARK

Ohio boasts a 1,000-yard receiver in Cameron Odom and running back in O’Shaan Allison. Odom has 1,066 yards in five seasons. Allison, a redshirt junior, has 1,117 and has averaged 5.8 per carry in his career. He has 167 yards on 32 attempts this season.

BIG RUN

Northwestern running back Evan Hull continues to deliver. The sophomore is averaging 6.4 yards per carry and has 262 on the season. He ran for 49 on 10 attempts last week after going for 126 in the win over Indiana State. Hull was thrust into the No. 1 running back spot after Cam Porter suffered a season-ending lower-body injury in camp.

RETURN INVESTMENT

With 195 yards on punt returns, Northwestern ranks third in the country. But the Wildcats had just three for 16 yards last week.

It was a big drop after Brandon Joseph and Raymond Niro III combined for a school-record 166 against Indiana State. Joseph ran back the first two of his career for 111, while Niro added 55.

Against Duke, Niro had two for 13 yards, and Hull ran one back for three.

LOOKING AHEAD

Northwestern gets back to Big Ten play next week with a trip to Nebraska. The Wildcats are then off before hosting Rutgers on Oct. 16.

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Today should be the day.

The White Sox, after all, have two chances.

All they have to do is win one game of doubleheader Thursday against the Indians at Progressive Field to clinch the AL Central Division title, and the Sox were well on their way opening a 7-0 lead after a four-homer barrage in the first two innings against Indians right-hander Aaron Civale. It would be the Sox’ first division crown since 2008 and would put them in the postseason in consecutive seasons for the first time in their long history.

“Today is one of those days you long for,” manager Tony La Russa said, waking up and knowing the Sox can clinch and celebrate on the field.

“This is a great day to be a White Sox player. They’re fired up and Cleveland is in the way.”

The Sox bats were on fire from the get-go. Tim Anderson led off with a home run to right field, and after Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez homered in the second, Anderson hit his second homer, also to right field.

It’s the first of five games in Cleveland against the second-place Indians (74-76), who haven’t mounted a serious challenge all season. They trail the Sox by 10 1/2 games, and the title going to the South Side has been a foregone conclusion for weeks. But the Sox (85-66) have dragged out the clincher by going 31-31 since the All-Star break.

Having opportunity to clinch division title on the field is “a special opportunity this team has earned over six months,” La Russa said. “Let’s take advantage of it.”

Reynaldo Lopez will start Game 1. In something of a surprise move, the team announced this morning that Michael Kopech would start Game 2. Kopech has started three games but has been viewed and groomed as a key piece to the bullpen, and Game 2 will amount to a bullpen game. But his scheduled start Thursday heightened speculation about the Sox’ playoff rotation plans.

Since pitching four innings in a start against the Royals May 14, Kopech hasn’t started a game and hasn’t pitched more than 2 1/3 innings or thrown more than 40 pitches in an outing. He threw 12 pitches Saturday and eight Sunday at Texas, his most recent appearances.

La Russa said he is hoping to get three innings, possibly four, from Kopech today.

Left-hander Carlos Rodon’s status for the postseason is unclear because of ongoing shoulder soreness. Rodon will test the shoulder in his final start of the regular season Wednesday or Tuesday, La Russa said, when the Sox host the Reds.

Rodon played very light catch on the field Thursday.

Here is the Sox lineup for Game 1 (12:10 p.m. CT). Because of injuries, it marks only the fifth time Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Jose Abreu, Yasmani Grandal, Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez are in the same lineup this season. Anderson hadn’t homered since Aug. 20 and Jimenez hadn’t homered since Aug. 29.

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When it comes to producing NFL-quality offensive linemen, Notre Dame and Wisconsin have been among the best programs in the country.

The Fighting Irish have 12 offensive linemen on NFL rosters to start this season and the Badgers have eight.

Quality offensive line play has become such an identifiable part of the success at Notre Dame and Wisconsin that both teams’ linemen landed an endorsement deal with a barbecue restaurant chain this summer.

Big men on campus, indeed.

No. 12 Notre Dame (3-0) faces No. 18 Wisconsin (1-1) on Saturday at Solider Field (11 a.m., Fox-32) in a game being billed as the Jack Coan Bowl for the former Badgers quarterback who now starts for the Irish.

But the guys lining up in front of Coan have been the big story at Notre Dame. One of the nation’s top offensive line factories has struggled to get its latest model fully operational.

After replacing four linemen currently on NFL rosters, the Fighting Irish have permitted 14 sacks, tied for second-most in the country, and have not been opening holes for the running game. Wisconsin’s defense will be the toughest test yet for Notre Dame’s rebuilt line.

“No doubt. We’re still going to show up, though,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said with a laugh.

Notre Dame has had three different starters at left tackle after highly touted freshman Blake Fisher was injured in the opener against Florida State. He remains out and his initial replacement, Michael Carmody, is a game-time decision, Kelly said Thursday.

The Irish are simultaneously trying to find the best combination of players up front and developing depth with inexperienced players such as sophomore Tosh Baker, who started at left tackle last week, and freshman Joe Alt. Kelly said he is optimistic about the future with these players, but the reality is the future is now.

“So, look, we are transitioning on the offensive line, but we are so excited about the young players and the veterans that are playing their butts off as as we go through this transition on the offensive line,” Kelly said.

The Badgers come into the game with only four sacks, but they get back one of their best pass rushers in linebacker Leo Chenal, who missed the first two games after testing positive for COVID-19. Chenal had three sacks in seven games last season and should bolster Wisconsin’s edge rush to go along with the interior push from tackles Matt Henningsen and Keeanu Benton.

“He’s kind of freaky, athletic, we know that,” Badgers defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said of Chenal. “He’s an imposing guy playing that position. Find ways to get him downhill and wreck a game for an offense.”

FAMILIAR FACE

Coan was Wisconsin’s QB1 going into last season, but a foot injury opened the door for Graham Mertz, a highly touted 2019 recruit. After the 2020 season, Coan transferred to Notre Dame to finish his college career .

So far, advantage Irish. Coan has gotten knocked around behind that transitioning line, but still managed to pass for 828 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Irish have also worked in mobile freshman Tyler Buchner at quarterback in an effort to boost the running game, but he was limited last week by a hamstring issue.

Mertz, meanwhile, has not thrown a touchdown pass this season. The sophomore was especially sloppy in the opening loss to Penn State and Wisconsin leaned on its running game to beat Eastern Michigan two weeks ago.

“We all understand that’s the storyline that’s out there, but it’s important for Graham and our whole team to know that what’s awesome about football, it’s a team sport,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said. “It’s going to take our team going up against a very good Notre Dame team. That’s where the game’s going to be played.”

HISTORY LESSON

The Irish and Badgers have played 16 times, but not since 1964. Notre Dame beat the Badgers 31-7 in the head coaching debut of Ara Parseghian.

The teams have also played at Soldier Field before: In 1929, won 19-0 under Knute Rockne.

A victory Saturday for Notre Dame will give Kelly 106 in 12 seasons with the Irish to and push him past Rockne for most in program history.

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When ESPN’s “College GameDay” crew is choosing a site for its weekly traveling circus, sometimes the answer stands out like a mascot’s head on Lee Corso.

This week, that answer is Soldier Field, where No. 12 Notre Dame and No. 18 Wisconsin will square off Saturday. In its 35th season, the show will make its first visit to the venerable stadium and fourth to the Chicago area. It aired from Northwestern in 1995 and 2013 and from Wrigley Field in 2010.

“It’s a classic matchup, two schools with storied traditions, with big, passionate fan bases, in a stadium with history,” said Drew Gallagher, the coordinating producer for “GameDay.” “It was a no-brainer.”

The show’s set is outside the north end of Soldier Field, between the stadium and the Field Museum. “GameDay” director Rodney Perez and operations producer Lu Fisher conducted a site survey last week to determine the best spot.

“We like the spot that we’re at because there’s natural foot traffic,” said Gallagher, referring to East McFetridge Drive. “We’re gonna have a great backdrop. It will be the museum and the skyline. It’s gonna have a very iconic Chicago feel throughout the show.”

The set – which takes five to six trucks to transport – is being assembled Thursday so it can be used for live programming Friday on “SportsCenter,” “Get Up” and “College Football Live.” “GameDay” airs from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday.

The show will include Kirk Herbstreit’s interview with Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan, who transferred from Wisconsin. Gene Wojciechowski will have an essay on the history of college football at Soldier Field. And other elements with Chicago connections are in the works. The celebrity guest game picker was still up in the air.

“GameDay” will have company. Fox, which will air the game at 11 a.m., will have its pregame show, “Big Noon Kickoff,” stationed on the Great Lawn on the east side of Soldier Field. But Gallagher is undeterred, buoyed by his show’s wild popularity.

” ‘GameDay’ is always nimble and able to go wherever we think, whether we think it’s the best game, the best story, the best scene,” said Gallagher, a 20-year ESPN veteran. “We try to put in our minds, what’s going to be the best show. Whether it’s our game or CBS or Fox doesn’t really matter.”

Gallagher is looking forward to seeing schools beyond Notre Dame and Wisconsin represented at the show. He called Chicago “the crossroads of college football,” with so many alumni and fans from the Big Ten and elsewhere residing here.

“We’re hoping it’s like a come-one-come-all for college football fans from Chicago,” he said. “We hope we see a lot of good signs, a lot of flags, a lot of schools represented, and we wanna make sure everyone feels welcome. It’s not just a Wisconsin-Notre Dame show. It’s a college football show for everybody.”

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Purdue coach Jeff Brohm decided to pull Jack Plummer during last week’s loss to No. 12 Notre Dame.

Illinois coach Bret Bielema took the opposite approach with Brandon Peters.

Now after a week of quarterback questions, the Boilermakers and Illini will renew their rivalry Saturday (2:30 p.m., BTN) with Plummer and Peters again expected to be again in the starting lineup.

“He played a good game. Could he have played better? Sure, he could have,” Brohm said Monday, making it clear there was no debate in his mind. “But he was under some duress and he had to make some throws off his back foot and had to stand in there quite a bit and take some hits.”

Plummer was solid, going 25 of 36 with 187 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and two sacks by the Fighting Irish. Backup Aidan O’Connell finished 11 of 18 with 104 yards and no sacks.

Each has starting experience, each adds a different dynamic and Brohm has always been open to playing one or more quarterbacks. This time, as the Boilermakers (2-1) prepare for their Big Ten opener, Brohm wants to see more from other players.

“For us to win, we have to be clicking on all cylinders,” Brohm said. “When we take the field, we’ve got to play confident and go out there and play aggressive and play for the win.”

Illinois (1-3, 1-1 Big Ten) faced a similar scenario this week after losing its third straight.

Peters struggled against Maryland after returning from a non-throwing shoulder injury. Some were calling for a switch back to Artur Sitkowski, the transfer from Rutgers who stepped in when Peters got hurt.

Bielema made it clear he’s sticking with Peters.

“I think a lot of times coaches say this, people say this, I think there’s a lot of truth to it, you have your biggest improvement from Game 1 to Game 2,” Bielema said. “This is really that chance for Brandon this week.”

MILESTONE WATCH

When Illinois linebacker Jake Hansen forced his 12th career fumble, the most among active FBS players, he entered rare territory. Hansen needs one more to tie Simeon Rice’s school record and he’s three away from tying the Big Ten record held by former Wisconsin star Chris Borland. But he’s not just a numbers guy.

“There are two guys on our team who when they speak everybody listens — (center) Doug Kramer on offense and Jake Hansen on defense,” Bielema said. “Jake Hansen, I know he’s played a lot of good football but the game he played Friday was pretty special. He made all the plays he was supposed to make and he made a lot of other ones. He’s truly an exceptional football player.”

SHORT-HANDED BOILERMAKERS

The Boilermakers have spent two weeks plugging holes and they won’t even know whether their top player, all-conference receiver David Bell, will play yet. Bell was carted off the field in the fourth quarter last week after a hard hit that sent him face-first into the ground, with his head bouncing hard off the turf. He’s been in the concussion protocol all week.

The Boilermakers also will be without Bell’s backup, Mershawn Rice (foot), and top running back Zander Horvath, who broke his leg two weeks ago.

HOME-RUN HITTER?

Freshman running back Josh McCray was one of Bielema’s first recruits and after last week’s game against Maryland, everyone understands why. McCray scored on a 38-yard TD run and led the Illini with eight carries for 60 yards before going to a nearby hospital for an undisclosed reason. Bielema said McCray went home a few hours after the game and is expected to play Saturday.

“I think Josh is going to be a big part of our future,” Bielema said. “I think he’s a very talented player that’s got a lot of right ingredients to be a really special player.”

ALL EVEN

The winner of Saturday’s game gets the Cannon Trophy and will take the overall lead in a series that is tied at 45-45-6. Purdue holds a 39-30-2 edge since 1943 and has a 5-3 advantage in the last eight meetings, but the road team has won seven of the last nine.

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Today should be the day.

The White Sox, after all, have two chances.

All they have to do is win one game of doubleheader Thursday against the Indians at Progressive Field to clinch the AL Central Division title. It would be the Sox’ first division crown since 2008 and would put them in the postseason in consecutive seasons for the first time in their long history.

“Today is one of those days you long for,” manager Tony La Russa said, waking up and knowing the Sox can clinch and celebrate on the field.

“This is a great day to be a White Sox player. They’re fired up and Cleveland is in the way.”

It’s the first of five games in Cleveland against the second-place Indians (74-76), who haven’t mounted a serious challenge all season. They trail the Sox by 10 1/2 games, and the title going to the South Side has been a foregone conclusion for weeks. But the Sox (85-66) have dragged out the clincher by going 31-31 since the All-Star break.

Having opportunity to clinch division title on the field is “a special opportunity this team has earned over six months,” La Russa said. “Let’s take advantage of it.”

Reynaldo Lopez will start Game 1. In something of a surprise move, the team announced this morning that Michael Kopech would start Game 2. Kopech has started three games but has been viewed and groomed as a key piece to the bullpen, and Game 2 will amount to a bullpen game. But his scheduled start Thursday heightened speculation about the Sox’ playoff rotation plans.

Since pitching four innings in a start against the Royals May 14, Kopech hasn’t started a game and hasn’t pitched more than 2 1/3 innings or thrown more than 40 pitches in an outing. He threw 12 pitches Saturday and eight Sunday at Texas, his most recent appearances.

La Russa said he is hoping to get three innings, possibly four, from Kopech today.

Left-hander Carlos Rodon’s status for the postseason is unclear because of ongoing shoulder soreness. Rodon will test the shoulder in his final start of the regular season Wednesday or Tuesday, La Russa said, when the Sox host the Reds.

Rodon played very light catch on the field Thursday.

Here is the Sox lineup for Game 1 (12:10 p.m. CT). Because of injuries, it marks only the fifth time Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Jose Abreu, Yasmani Grandal, Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez are in the same lineup this season.

Anderson SS

Moncada 3B

Abreu 1B

Grandal C

Robert CF

Jimenez LF

Garcia RF

Sheets DH

Hernandez 2B

Lopez P

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The latest rankings of Illinois high school football teams in each class, according to an Associated Press panel of sportswriters.

Class 8A

1. Loyola (9) (4-0) 90 1
2. Naperville Central (3-1) 69 3
3. Neuqua Valley (4-0) 62 5
4. Marist (3-1) 52 2
5. Glenbard West (4-0) 49 T6
6. Warren (3-1) 44 4
7. Maine South (3-1) 35 1
8. Lincoln-Way East (3-1) 33 T6
9. Bolingbrook (3-0) 17 8
10. Lockport (4-0) 12 NR
(tie) O’Fallon (3-1) 12 NR

Others receiving votes: South Elgin 9, Palatine 4, Glenbard East 3, Hinsdale Central 2, Homewood-Flossmoor 1, Oswego East 1.

Class 7A

1. Mount Carmel (9) (4-0) 99 2
2. Brother Rice (1) (3-1) 85 3
3. Batavia (4-0) 80 4
4. Wheaton North (3-1) 64 5
5. St. Rita (2-2) 57 7
6. Hersey (4-0) 50 6
7. Normal (4-0) 37 T9
8. Hononegah (4-0) 23 NR
9. Buffalo Grove (4-0) 21 NR
10. Wheaton Warrenville South (2-2) 8 8

Others receiving votes: St. Charles North 6, Libertyville 6, Prospect 5, Pekin 3, Collinsville 2, Moline 2, Geneva 2.

Class 6A

1. East St. Louis (9) (3-1) 106 3
2. Cary-Grove (2) (4-0) 96 1
3. Kankakee (4-0) 83 2
4. Crete-Monee (3-1) 76 4
5. Prairie Ridge (4-0) 69 7
6. Lemont (4-0) 65 5
7. Kenwood (4-0) 22 NR
(tie) Lake Forest (3-1) 22 10
9. Wauconda (4-0) 14 NR
10. Richards (3-1) 10 NR

Others receiving votes: Harlem 9, Simeon 8, Springfield 6, St. Ignatius 6, Vernon Hills 3, Belvidere North 3, Chatham Glenwood 3, Crystal Lake Central 3, Deerfield 1.

Class 5A

1. Rochester (10) (3-1) 100 1
2. Fenwick (3-1) 77 3
3. Providence (2-2) 71 2
4. Mascoutah (4-0) 67 5
5. Sycamore (3-1) 55 6
6. Peoria (3-1) 52 7
7. Morris (4-0) 42 8
8. Metamora (4-0) 35 T10
9. Sterling (3-1) 21 NR
10. Mahomet-Seymour (4-0) 15 NR

Others receiving votes: Marion 6, Morgan Park 6, Glenbard South 3.

Class 4A

1. Joliet Catholic (12) (4-0) 120 1
2. Sacred Heart-Griffin (3-1) 103 2
3. Richmond-Burton (4-0) 92 3
4. St. Francis (3-1) 87 4
5. Quincy Notre Dame (4-0) 75 5
6. Phillips (2-2) 47 8
7. Coal City (2-2) 37 9
8. Genoa-Kingston (3-1) 29 6
9. Mt. Zion (3-1) 18 T10
10. Stillman Valley (3-1) 16 NR

Others receiving votes: Bethalto Civic Memorial 12, Carterville 9, Hyde Park 6, Dixon 4, Murphysboro 2, Cahokia 1, Plano 1, Breese Central 1.

Class 3A

1. Wilmington (7) (4-0) 96 1
2. Princeton (3) (4-0) 89 2
3. Monticello (4-0) 79 3
4. Tolono Unity (4-0) 62 4
5. Williamsville (3-1) 60 5
6. Byron (4-0) 56 6
7. Farmington (4-0) 37 7
8. Mt. Carmel, Ill. (4-0) 31 8
9. Montini (1-3) 13 9
10. Reed-Custer (4-0) 9 NR

Others receiving votes: Durand 8, Wheaton Academy 3, Benton 3, Paxton-Buckley-Loda 2, Nashville 1, Carlinville 1.

Class 2A

1. Decatur St. Teresa (7) (4-0) 97 1
2. IC Catholic (3) (4-0) 88 2
3. Maroa-Forsyth (4-0) 82 3
4. Breese Mater Dei (4-0) 71 4
5. Downs Tri-Valley (4-0) 56 6
6. Bismarck-Henning (4-0) 54 7
7. Pana (4-0) 40 8
8. Rushville-Industry (4-0) 22 10
9. Knoxville (4-0) 18 NR
10. Rockridge (2-2) 6 5
(tie) Sterling Newman (2-2) 6 9

Others receiving votes: Clifton Central 5, Athens 3, Tremont 2, Bishop McNamara 1.

Class 1A

1. Lena-Winslow (9) (4-0) 90 1
2. Mt. Sterling (Brown County) (4-0) 73 T2
3. Moweaqua Central A&M (3-1) 71 T2
4. Winchester West Central (4-0) 39 9
5. Camp Point Central (3-1) 38 6
(tie) Carrollton (3-1) 38 8
7. Fulton (3-1) 36 7
8. Abingdon (4-0) 20 NR
(tie) Kewanee (Wethersfield) (3-1) 20 10
10. Forreston (3-1) 17 NR

Others receiving votes: St. Bede 13, Aurora Christian 13, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 12, Cumberland 7, Greenfield-Northwestern 6, Ottawa Marquette 2.

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No. 23 Prairie Ridge at No. 10 Cary-Grove, 1 p.m. Saturday

This game between teams 4-0 overall and in the Fox Valley could determine a lot — local bragging rights in the far northwest suburbs, the conference title and possibly a No. 1 seed in the Class 6A playoffs if the winner goes 9-0 in the regular season. Since 2009, one of these teams has reached the 6A final seven times with Prairie Ridge winning three state titles and Cary-Grove two. This year, Cary-Grove hasn’t been tested, winning by an average of 39 points. Quarterback Jameson Sheehan and fullback Nick Hissong have the Trojans offense rolling. Prairie Ridge squeaked past Jacobs 49-48 last week, stopping the Golden Eagles on a two-point conversion try with 2:33 left, Nathan Greetham ran for 165 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Wolves offense.

No. 25 Crete-Monee at No. 4 Joliet Catholic, 7:30 p.m. Friday

This is the second high-profile matchup for Crete (3-1), which lost 35-20 to Lincoln-Way East in Week 1. The Warriors are coming off a 78-18 rout of Thornwood in which Joshua Franklin accounted for eight touchdowns (two rushing, six passing) and 528 all-purpose yards. Class 4A top-ranked Joliet Catholic’s closest game was a 30-20 win at St. Louis power Cardinal Ritter, a game the Hilltoppers led 23-0. JCA is coming off a 42-0 shutout of Will County rival Providence that packed Memorial Stadium in Joliet. Though Illinois recruits Jordan Anderson and Malachi Hood may have come into the season with a higher profile, quarterback Aidan Voss has also been a big reason for the Hilltoppers’ success.

No. 5 Naperville Central at No. 7 Neuqua Valley, 7:30 p.m. Friday

This could be the first of two matchups between the neighborhood rivals, as the DuPage Valley plans to play a championship game in Week 9. Senior Parker Domschke had a big game last week for Neuqua (4-0, 1-0) with seven tackles as a defensive back and a 56-yard touchdown run on a fake punt. Junior quarterback Mark Mennecke, an effective scrambler, keeps opposing defenses guessing. Naperville Central (3-1, 1-0), whose only loss was on the road to Detroit Central Catholic, specializes in low-scoring games. The Redhawks have not scored more than 20 points or allowed more than 17 this season.

No. 9 Lincoln-Way East at No. 17 Bolingbrook, 6 p.m. Friday

Lincoln-Way East has won 26 straight conference games and has dominated this rivalry with seven consecutive wins. Can the Griffins (3-1, 0-0 SouthWest Suburban) extend those streaks with one of their youngest teams in the 20-year tenure of coach Rob Zvonar, who picked up his 200th career victory last week? Bolingbrook (4-0, 0-0), which will be honoring members of its 2011 state championship team, has some star power this year with the likes of junior safety Damon Walters, who has SEC offers from Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

Simeon vs. Phillips, 4 p.m. Saturday at Gately

This is the week we begin to get a clearer picture of who is the Public League’s best team with two of the four front-runners facing off (Kenwood and Morgan Park are the other contenders). Simeon (2-2) has bounced back from decisive losses to Joliet Catholic and Bolingbrook with a pair of lopsided wins against CPS rivals. The Wolverines’ Malik Elzy, a 6-3, 198-pound receiver, is one of the state’s top juniors and his 13 offers include Illinois, Notre Dame, Michigan and three SEC schools (Kentucky, Tennessee and Vanderbilt). Phllips (2-2) has had a similar trajectory, losing to Batavia and Mount Carmel before handling a pair of city rivals. Junior quarterback Tyler Turner is a player to watch,

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Can U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hang on to her 220–212 majority in 2022? In a midterm election, the party controlling the White House usually loses seats. This year, House Democrats are looking to Illinois for help. Illinois lost population in the last census, costing us a House seat. However, gerrymandering by Springfield Democrats could eliminate two Republicans, changing the state’s delegation from a 13–5 to a 14–3 Democratic advantage — the fewest Republicans since 1854, when the party was founded. One proposal involves dismembering Adam Kinzinger’s northern Illinois district and merging the downstate districts of Mary Miller and Rodney Davis. The state’s heaviest population loss was in rural Republican counties. That may justify such a map, but conservatives are already calling it “political gamesmanship” from a “smoke-filled backroom.”

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In 2009, when Rahm Emanuel left Congress to become President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, Thomas Geoghegan decided to run in the special election for Emanuel’s seat representing the Northwest Side of Chicago. Geoghegan, a labor lawyer and public intellectual, had no political experience and little money, but he put himself through the campaign rituals of knocking on doors and cold calling donors. 

Despite an endorsement from The Atlantic, Geoghegan received only 3,336 votes in the Democratic primary, finishing seventh in a field of 12. The seat was won by then-County Commissioner Mike Quigley. Geoghegan’s failed campaign and the lessons it taught him about politics, after writing about the subject from a distance for so many years, are the subject of his new book, The History of Democracy Has Yet to Be Written: How We Have to Learn to Govern All Over Again (Belt Publishing, $20). Geoghegan will throw a launch party at 6 p.m. on Sept. 27 at The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia Ave.

What did you learn from running for Congress in 2009?

I learned that [political consultant] Kitty Kurth was right when she told me I had absolutely no chance, that I should do it anyway, and I would never regret it. What partly prompted me to write up this story first, then go onto other topics about representative democracy, is my belief that so many of the books and tracts and articles I read about democracy fail to give the kind of personal, existential dimension of it. I wanted to give my own take on it, and all the lessons I had learned, things I wished I had done, what to expect if one tries this, and how it changes you — sometimes for the worse, but on the whole, by far, for the better.

Photo courtesy of Belt Publishing

How did actually being in politics change your understanding of it, and your understanding of democracy?

I used to feel heartbroken, sorry, for people who were the losing candidates on election night. Now I think, “They must be really happy that the whole damn thing is over.” Another thing that I found: As awful as the money is in politics — and it’s awful — it does force you to get out there and stand up for yourself and ask for yourself. If you aren’t able to put yourself out there and ask people to give you money, maybe you shouldn’t be running for office. The campaign funding system is a monstrosity, and I’m all against it, but it’s not a complete negative. It is demeaning, but it teaches you a certain amount of humility. It has a way of excluding people from office who don’t want to ask for money, and I have to say that I don’t want to do it ever again.

The winner of that race, Mike Quigley, won with 12,000 votes. You say that there’s something wrong with democracy when someone can win a congressional seat with 12,000 votes.

Representing 600,000 people, more or less for life? It’s not that there’s anything wrong with winning with 12,000 votes, but only 50,000 people voted. I don’t want to beat up on Mike Quigley, or question his legitimacy. What’s significant about that was here was the country’s red-hot political city, right after Obama was elected. We were in this jaw-dropping, frightening situation, with the [gross domestic product] falling like a rock. There was some question whether capitalism, much less the underlying legal system, was going to continue — and yet it was kind of a no-show election.

You think that there should be mandatory voting. 

We have to pull people into the government of the country. We have to learn to govern ourselves. If we can’t do that, we’ll end up in this polarized society that we’re now in where 40 percent of the country isn’t voting. If everybody were to participate in the democratic process, some of the dysfunctions of the Constitution would go away.

You’re a lawyer in your day job, and you said one of the reasons that the courts are so prominent and so powerful is that the Constitution makes it difficult for things to be done legislatively.

The framers expected that Congress would be far and away the dominant branch, and it would crush the other two branches. So they divided the power between the House and the Senate. The problem is that they overdid it, and it’s gotten worse. Thanks to the filibuster, it’s even harder to get things through. Not just the filibuster, but the whole arrangement of having 50 states where 7 percent of the population can elect enough senators to block a bill. 

Instead of the legislative branch encroaching on the executive and judicial branches, the problem has turned out to be just the reverse. The executive branch and the courts have encroached on the power of the legislature, because the legislature can’t act. The courts start filling in gaps and laws that normally the legislature would fill in. 

One of your chapters is titled, “Abolish the Senate.” Why? Isn’t that a compromise that holds the country together?

I’m not really in favor of completely abolishing the Senate, but I’m in favor of abolishing a Senate that defies one person, one vote. That doesn’t represent the country; it creates two countries, not one. There’s the country that the Senate represents, where North Dakota is the same status as California, which is ridiculous, and then there’s the real country, where there are a lot of people living in California, and not a lot of people in North Dakota. 

If everybody were to participate in the democratic process, some of the dysfunctions of the Constitution would go away.

The United States as it exists in real life is a much different country as it exists in the Constitution, and this disconnect is driving us crazy. We’re not a free people because, as a people, we’re not capable of making our decisions. We’re in this crazy fun house mirror of a country where North Dakota is equal to California and everything is being blocked all the time. 

Why did the Democrats lose the white working class — especially to Trump — and how can they win it back?

They haven’t lost all of it. I have so many clients who are white working class that are hardcore Democrats. In a broader sense, it’s true that the Democrats have lost the white working class. People are reacting to the Democrats for many reasons. The one that I wanted to emphasize was this sense that the Enlightenment for which the Democrats stand — the knowledge economy, education, tolerance — is their worst enemy. It looks to be a guise for exploiting working people, who are not part of the knowledge economy, which is reserved for the educated elite, and the rest of the country can go pound sand. 

That’s not the only reason. Race is a huge reason, but I would say this about race: If there was no race issue in this country, if one day we woke up and the white working class had no grudge against Blacks, Latinos or anybody else, we’d have the Black and Latino working class voting for Trump for the same reason that the white working class is voting against the Democrats: They sense the hierarchical privilege and their exclusion from the knowledge-based economy, and they resent the educated elite in this country. 

So you’re never going to run for office again?

Oh, I’m too old to run for office. I wanted to explain in this book that while it was a nightmare and I’ll never do it again, you, the reader, should do it. You ought to get out there and run for office. It’ll be horrible, but you’ll never regret it. That’s the message of the book.

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