2017 season: 10-3, 7-2 in the Big Ten (2nd in the West Division)
Head coach: Pat Fitzgerald (12th season)
Northwestern wound up a far different team than what it was when it came to Durham and proceeded to get run out of Wallace Wade Stadium 41-17. Soon after losses against then-No.10 Wisconsin and then-No. 4 Penn State, the cardiac Wildcats finished the season on an eight-game win streak—including three straight in overtime.
Northwestern will be forced to replace senior leaders on both sides of the ball this year, so a regression from its 10-3 record last season is a strong possibility. Running back Justin Jackson—the de facto centerpiece of the Wildcat offense the past three years—is gone, and although sophomore Jeremy Larkin impressed in limited time last season, replacing Northwestern’s all-time leading rusher will be an unenviable task.
On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats return nearly all of their front seven, including linebacker Paddy Fisher, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Freshman of the Year. However, they will have to replace safeties Godwin Igwebuike and Kyle Queiro, the former an all-Big Ten selection the past two seasons.
To build on last year’s success, Northwestern will need a monster season from redshirt senior quarterback Clayton Thorson, who will need to prove he is fully healthy after tearing his ACL in Northwestern’s 24-23 victory against Kentucky in last season’s Music City Bowl. Thorson may not start the season opener against Purdue and his status for Week 2 against Duke remains up in the air as well.
The Wildcats will get plenty of chances to land signature upset victories, including an early-season test at home against Michigan Sept. 29 that could show whether Northwestern is in line for a true regression in 2018.
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