Trashditions: Northwestern's Unoriginal Key Jangling Tradition is Infused with Unearned Elitism

Ohio State's 2020 Big Ten campaign is set to end where most of us envisioned — in Indianapolis for a chance to secure its fourth consecutive conference crown.

The Buckeyes' road to the conference title game, however, was full of surprises. Ryan Day and his squad spent most of the offseason wondering if they'd even be able to play a season, and when it looked like all hope was lost, a miraculous eight-game schedule was announced that revived Ohio State's hope of returning to the College Football Playoff.

It was an up-and-down season on (but mostly) off the field as COVID-19 forced cancellations of two games because of outbreaks with upcoming opponents, while a third cancellation came when Ohio State had to pause activities the week of the Illinois game.

One of the biggest hits came last week when Michigan was forced to cancel The Game, as the Wolverines became one of the hardest-hit teams in the country from a COVID-19 perspective.

Even still, the Buckeyes beat every team they played this year, and the Big Ten overruled a previous six-game requirement for entry into the conference title game to give Ohio State its shot. This means Justin Fields and the Buckeyes have the chance to put a bow on the conference season and achieve their goal of returning to the playoff if they can win this Saturday.

The only thing standing in their way is Northwestern, a habitual pretender that overachieves before disastrously going down in flames.

That sets the perfect stage for this week's "Trashdition" highlight because the Wildcats have a key jangling tradition that perfectly sums up the school's elitism. 

Tradition's Origin

Northwestern did not create this tradition. In stadiums around the country every Saturday, several fanbases reach into their pockets, pull out their keys and jangle them during kickoffs or key third downs. Michigan does it. Michigan State does it. Ohio State mercifully does not do it.

Even though other Ohio State opponents do this admittedly dumb act on game day, they weren't called out for it in this series because there were dumber and more original things to call out.

But Northwestern's key jangling tradition is unique.

What sets the Wildcats apart is a point of debate within the fanbase. Many Northwestern fans believe it's just a run-of-the-mill tradition that many programs around the country implement. Others believe the Wildcats do this because, as a prestigious academic university that's difficult to get into, that the opposing players and fans will eventually take their keys as valet attendants at glamorous events they're attending.

The pretentiousness here is just off the charts. So about that...

Why It's Trash

This whole notion is just flawed, and it doesn't apply to the Northwestern fans who rebuke the sentiment that its graduates are greater than people who made it through other Big Ten universities.

But for the students, alumni and general fans who do believe the key-jangling tradition signifies they're in a higher status of society compared to their opponent — uh, what?

If that sentiment helps Northwestern fans cope with its middling football program, that's understandable in a pathetic kind of way. But in truth, it's comparable to a skilled chess prodigy showing up to a bodybuilding competition and mocking the contestants for their lack of board strategy and development.

It's even more ironic because the Northwestern program itself plays on the fact that they're the little guy no one takes seriously.

Were not who you think.#GoCats | @J_ManPrime21 pic.twitter.com/6QUO16P9ey

— Pat Fitzgerald (@coachfitz51) December 18, 2020

Northwestern's football program is a fraud. A weird bout of competence in the late 1990s put them on the map, but ever since, they've ascended as a potential threat before an embarrassing letdown ultimately eliminated the hype.

In the last two matchups with the Wildcats, Ohio State's won the game by an average of five touchdowns. One of those victories took place in Northwestern's Ryan Field, which was populated by more Buckeye fans than key-holding Wildcat ones (please reference the primary image of this article as proof of that). The other came two years ago in the Big Ten title game, where Ohio State won to clinch a Rose Bowl bid.

Fast forward two years and nothing has changed. The Buckeyes will roll past the Wildcats and continue on their path to the College Football Playoff. But Northwestern fans will be unbothered by this because their job prospects might be a little bit better than the rest of us, apparently.