Monday Hawkeyes Reading Room - Get a handle on Northwestern here

Skip Myslenski was one of the most-likable and most-prolific sportswriters around when he patrolled the Big Ten and well beyond for the Chicago Tribune.

He was one of  many genuine talents who got axed when the Trib went on a downsizing rampage earlier this year. He found work quickly, to no surprise. He's employed by Northwestern University in athletic communications. He creates content for the school.

Skip began this recap of Northwestern's 30-13 loss to Penn State Saturday with:

You defeat very few opponents with half a team. You never defeat a highly ranked opponent, which the 'Cats were facing Saturday at Ryan Field, with half a team.

That was, basically, the condition the 'Cats found themselves in once quarterback Mike Kafka exited their meeting with Penn State with 8:15 remaining in the first half. He had, until his departure, been borderline brilliant, running effectively, passing effectively and effectively cutting up the Nittany Lions' acclaimed defense.

Kafka pulled a hamstring and left the game in the second quarter. Northwestern led at halftime, 13-10. Penn State went on to win, 30-13. When Penn State Coach Joe Paterno was asked what adjustments his team made to prevail, he replied:

"The adjustment we made is their quarterback got hurt."

As good a place to keep up with Northwestern news and notes this week is the blog, Lake The Posts. That's where I swiped the Paterno quote, in fact.

Bowl projections haven't changed a whit since last week, at least not regarding Iowa. Last week everyone who does such things said the Hawkeyes were Rose Bowl-bound. Most projected an Iowa-USC matchup. Now, of course, it's all Iowa-Oregon.

Mark Schlabach and Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com both see Alabama-Cincinnati in the Sugar and Florida-Texas in the BCS title bout. Feldman has Penn State facing Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Schlabach thinks Penn State will get iced out by TCU. Click here for all their picks.

Schlabach has 5-4 Iowa State playing Idaho in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise. Feldman says no bowl for the Cyclones.

CBSsports.com says Iowa-Oregon in the Rose and Iowa State-Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl. Click here for all the other picks, most of which won't come true.

Forest Evashevski, the former Hawkeyes football coach who died Friday, is remembered in Sid Hartman's column today in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Hartman, one of the few people in active sports media who covered Evashevski's teams, wrote this:

What most people don't know is that Evashevski, not  Vince Lombardi, was the first choice to coach the Packers in 1959. But after flying in to interview for the job, Evashevski turned it down.