** 2018 Opponent Previews: Northwestern (Game 7) **
- Thread starter Saunders
- Start date
Northwestern is solid and they don't beat themselves.
We have been the better team pretty much every time we've played Northwestern - usually by a wide margin. But we've managed to shoot ourselves in the foot (repeatedly) enough to make the games interesting.
If we are the better team every year - add SF and i can't see how this doesn't lean in our favor to a 3:1 ratio
Scarlet Overkill
All-Conference
We're one Hail Mary in this series from the visiting team winning every game in our series with them. Needless to say, i like when we play them at their place.
That rivals writer suggests an 8-4 season, and I postulate it could be a lot worse. It's easy to understand why 8 wins; take the 10 last year and chop off a couple to account for the tougher schedule. The problem is that 10 win team didn't put up the performance metrics of a 10 win team, they got there by winning several close games. That already suggests a strong possibility for a sharp downturn the next year.
The opening set of games are deceptively tricky when you consider how poor the offense for Northwestern may be the first month. At Purdue and then home to Duke is not as easy as it sounds. Brohm has Purdue set up to make a year 2 jump. They may not show it in an increase in wins as last year's team was slightly overrated, but they will in performance, regardless of QB. Duke will have enough offense to pose a threat, as they tend to play some of their best ball early season. Akron is pretty poor.
1-2 is possible before the two Michigan games and then Nebraska. By midseason break, otherwise known as Rutgers, it's not a stretch to suggest Northwestern is 1-5. The order of the games this season does Northwestern no favors. Sure, Minnesota and Illinois look like very likely wins now, but they are in the final two weeks. They play their final 9 games without a bye, and if the season trends downward early, those could snowball into unexpected losses.
7 or 8 wins are certainly plausible, but I'm suggesting no one should really be surprised if it is only 3 or 4 wins.
The opening set of games are deceptively tricky when you consider how poor the offense for Northwestern may be the first month. At Purdue and then home to Duke is not as easy as it sounds. Brohm has Purdue set up to make a year 2 jump. They may not show it in an increase in wins as last year's team was slightly overrated, but they will in performance, regardless of QB. Duke will have enough offense to pose a threat, as they tend to play some of their best ball early season. Akron is pretty poor.
1-2 is possible before the two Michigan games and then Nebraska. By midseason break, otherwise known as Rutgers, it's not a stretch to suggest Northwestern is 1-5. The order of the games this season does Northwestern no favors. Sure, Minnesota and Illinois look like very likely wins now, but they are in the final two weeks. They play their final 9 games without a bye, and if the season trends downward early, those could snowball into unexpected losses.
7 or 8 wins are certainly plausible, but I'm suggesting no one should really be surprised if it is only 3 or 4 wins.
BigRedBuster
International Man of Mystery
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Caliborn72
Starter
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brophog said:
That schedule is almost as tough as Nebraska's this year. They are assuming a lot if they find 8 wins. They are saying Iowa and Nebraska are wins for them, which I don't think is any kind of a foregone conclusion. They needed OT against a 4 win Nebraska team, and they should have lost the game if they just play it safe and kick a FG. Thorson is coming off ACL injury they don't have the RB. There defense should be ok but lots of ifs. I could see a 5-6 win season, which is has been their MO a lot, good season followed by a mediocre season.
I think their schedule may be tougher simply because of the order. They do have Rutgers instead of Ohio St, but have Notre Dame to offset that. So their conference schedule is easier, but Rutgers sits in a dangerous spot on their schedule.
That start is tough for them with Thorson's availability being an unknown. Purdue and Duke are two toss up games for them, then they have a brutal mid stretch. Nebraska's OOC ramps up nicely, and the tough conference games don't stack, having very winnable games between the testers. Northwestern has a stretch of Michigan/MSU/Nebraska/Rutgers/Wisconsin/Notre Dame/Iowa, all following a very early bye. If Nebraska is playing well, that's really rough. I just think a lot of times in predictions too much is made of calculating each games odds and not enough on overall composition.
To me, it has all the makings of a mediocre season with the possibility of disaster if those first two games are losses.