Northwestern Football: Brian Arnfelt Driven To Succeed In Senior Season

The Northwestern Wildcats (3-0) have navigated their early schedule very well, and the leadership provided by seniors like defensive tackle Brian Arnfelt may have played a role in that success. Arnfelt was forced to sit out due to injury last season, but now he is back and determined to make to make the most of his opportunities, which is what he told Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times:

"It's definitely not easy to sit out with an injury, but it gives you an outsider's perspective that I would say now is one of the biggest pluses in my life," Arnfelt said. "You're able to see that the clock is ticking. I'm not guaranteed any more snaps. I could do something in practice today or tomorrow. You have to appreciate everything you get."

The 6'5, 300-pound lineman and the rest of the Wildcats will take on South Dakota on Saturday.

Head over to Sippin' On Purple for more news on Northwestern, and check out SB Nation's college football hub for all the news and analysis you need from around the NCAA.

College Football Rankings: Northwestern Breaks Into Week 4 BlogPoll

The Week 4 BlogPoll is out, and the Northwestern Wildcats are in at No. 23. They're in the top 25 for the first time this season.

Northwestern moved into the top 25 on the merits of their early season successes that include but don't end with a 3-0 record. The Wildcats beat the Boston College Eagles 22-13 on Saturday, their third win in as many weeks against a team from a different BCS conference. The Wildcats already have wins this season against Syracuse and Vanderbilt.

The Wildcats face South Dakota State on Saturday.

Big Ten teams ranked ahead of Northwestern are the No. 15 Ohio State Buckeyes, the No. 21 Michigan Wolverines and the No. 22 Michigan State Spartans. The Nebraska Cornhuskers, Wisconsin Badgers and Purdue Boilermakers all received votes.

Results after Week 3

#	School	Points/blog	SD	Delta
1	Alabama Crimson Tide (89)	24.99	0.10	--
2	LSU Tigers	23.31	1.99	--
3	Oregon Ducks	21.27	4.84	1
4	Georgia Bulldogs	19.89	2.28	1
5	Florida St. Seminoles	19.76	4.46	1
6	Oklahoma Sooners	17.29	5.54	1
7	West Virginia Mountaineers	17.08	5.16	2
8	Stanford Cardinal (1)	17.04	3.67	14
9	South Carolina Gamecocks	16.52	3.78	2
10	Clemson Tigers	16.04	3.12	--
11	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	14.19	4.02	7
12	Texas Longhorns	13.63	3.63	3
13	Florida Gators	12.59	4.60	4
14	Kansas St. Wildcats	12.39	3.53	-2
15	Ohio St. Buckeyes	11.81	4.82	-2
16	USC Trojans	10.50	4.94	-13
17	TCU Horned Frogs	8.52	4.33	-1
18	UCLA Bruins	8.08	3.65	2
19	Louisville Cardinals	7.61	3.46	--
20	Arizona Wildcats	6.54	4.55	3
21	Michigan Wolverines	5.54	4.37	--
22	Michigan St. Spartans	4.59	3.28	-14
23	Northwestern Wildcats	2.59	4.73	11
24	Mississippi St. Bulldogs	2.56	3.61	6
25	Ohio Bobcats	1.97	3.70	--
Others Receiving Votes: Nebraska Cornhuskers | Iowa St. Cyclones | Baylor Bears | Oregon St. Beavers | Boise St. Broncos | Oklahoma St. Cowboys | Texas Tech Red Raiders | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | Virginia Tech Hokies | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | Tennessee Volunteers | Central Florida Knights | Arizona St. Sun Devils | Missouri Tigers | Toledo Rockets | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | Cincinnati Bearcats | Wisconsin Badgers | N.C. State Wolfpack | Texas A&M Aggies | Vanderbilt Commodores | Purdue Boilermakers | Utah Utes | Arkansas Razorbacks | Utah State Aggies | Middle Tenn. St. Blue Raiders | ULM Warhawks | Miami Hurricanes | Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Updated: Sep 18, 2012 9:00 AM EDT

Head over to Sippin' On Purple for more news on Northwestern, and check out SB Nation's college football hub for all the news and analysis you need from around the NCAA.

Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald Remains Noncommittal On QB As Colter, Siemian Excel

If it ain't broke, you don't fix it. Right?