Fox Sports came to Evanston on Saturday for its “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show, showcasing Northwestern’s Big Ten opener against No. 4 Oregon for a national TV audience.

Despite an early-morning monsoon that turned the Lakefill into a mud pit, all the gang was on hand, except for designated Ohio State-basher Dave Portnoy, who had a prior engagement at a pizza festival that obviously was more important than hyping a game everyone expected would be over by halftime.

Still, it was NU’s first chance to host a big game at cozy Martin Stadium, its Instagrammable field on the shores of Lake Michigan, and the Wildcats were excited about getting some positive national football attention for the first time since you-know-who was fired in a hazing scandal .

“These are days you dream of when you

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