By Jesse Kirsch (@JesseRKirsch)

It’s only fitting a team that plays in Rocky Miller Park–at least until it’s done being renovated–would be having yet another rocky season.

The Northwestern Wildcats head to East Lansing on Friday with an 8-22 record and just two Big Ten wins so far this season. The campaign started off with a six-game losing streak and Coach Stevens’ squad hasn’t been able to win more than three-straight since.

The Michigan State Spartans haven’t had much luck themselves this spring—although they’ve had loads more than the Wildcats, entering the series with a 16-14 overall record. Despite having twice as many wins as the ‘Cats this year, the Spartans are deadlocked with NU at No. 8 in the Big Ten standings; both teams have a 2-4 conference record.

It’s hard to say which way this series will go, but the conference implications are minimal at best. The drop off below the top four teams—Iowa, Illinois, OSU and Maryland— is significant with just Nebraska and Michigan shaping up to be the other conference contenders. Ultimately, both NU and MSU seem to be at their peek rankings for the year.

The Spartans are riding a four game winning streak and could extend that momentum through the week as the Wildcats come a-knockin’. With a rough 5-14 road record, Northwestern may have a very frustrating bus ride home next week.

On a high note, the Wildcats will be playing at home for the first time this season in less than two weeks. Let’s see if they can knock the word rocky out of the park and start anew on their own turf.