Reporters gathered ’round the campfire Monday for Randy Walker story time, during which the Wildcats’ orator took his captivated audience back to a beautiful Sunday morning after NU’s 34-29 win at Purdue.

As the sun peeked over Lake Michigan that Sunday, Walker said he and his dog Magic went out for a brisk promenade. The coach and his canine were walking along when, suddenly, Walker looked down and noticed something on the ground.

A buckeye.

“I picked that buckeye up,” Walker said, grinning. “It made me think about something. Now, I didn’t think about it for long, but I said: ‘Huh. How ’bout this?’ “

The NU coach said he put the buckeye in his pocket – buckeyes are good luck to Walker and fellow Ohioans – and the thought of No. 14 Ohio State out of his mind. Now it’s his job to keep himself and his players from thinking beyond Saturday’s game at Michigan State (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten).

“We’re all guilty of daydreaming and wondering,” Walker said at NU’s weekly news conference. “But I don’t allow myself to go there long because it’s irrelevant. It’s not appropriate.”

Instead, Walker said it’s about the next game for Northwestern (4-2, 2-1). That’s why while his team sits half a game out of first place in the conference, looking toward a bowl game and especially a Big Ten championship is out of the question.

In the words of some NU players, Walker’s don’t-ask attitude – “I’m not sure I could give you the exact order of our schedule,” Walker said – is taking hold.

“We’re just going out and trying to be competitive each week,” cornerback Marquice Cole said. “Every week we go out there and just play hard just to stay in the hunt.”

“You always want to make a bowl,” wide receiver Shaun Herbert said. “But we’re just trying to win every game each week.”

The coming game features a battle of two top-flight quarterbacks – NU senior Brett Basanez and Michigan State junior Drew Stanton. Basanez picked up his second consecutive Big Ten offensive player of the week award Monday. Stanton leads the nation in passing efficiency.

After Michigan State, the Cats play Michigan and Iowa at home – but don’t tell that to Walker and his players.

“At some point they’ll be relevant,” Walker said. “At this point, winning the Big Ten championship isn’t.

“We are far from being concerned about where this ends up.”

Reach Patrick Dorsey at [email protected].