The 2022 college football season kicks off on Saturday and lucky for us week zero includes some intense and very important Big Ten conference play. Before the season is in full swing, I wanted to provide a somewhat in-depth preview of what we can expect from the Northwestern Wildcats
I am not looking at the Wildcats from a state of whether are they good or not, but can they make me any money? Our friends at Tipico have provided a plethora of betting options for this season and this includes the season win totals futures. The Northwestern total currently sits at 3.5 wins.
The Good
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 12: Peter Skoronski #77 of the Northwestern Wildcats blocks Isaiah Gay #92 of the Illinois Fighting Illini at Ryan Field on December 12, 2020 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Northwestern is a turbulent team to watch as evidenced by their past four seasons which has included two Big Ten West titles and a top ten finish, but also two 3-9 seasons. So the good news is that if this trend continues, the Wildcats could be competing for a Big Ten title.
Northwestern does return a ton of experience with seven returning starters on offense and five on defense. A staple of the Wildcats has always been their strong defense and it is safe to suggest that their pathetic showing last season could likely be an anomaly. With three returning starters in the defensive backfield, Northwestern will hope to get back to their aggressive play.
Pat Fitgerald is like the anti-Scott Frost, his teams may be lacking talent, but they typically play disciplined and assignment-sound football.
The Bad
Northwestern safety Brandon Joseph (16) tackles Purdue running back Zander Horvath (40) during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Cfb Purdue Vs Northwestern
Northwestern was straight-up awful on both sides of the football finishing last in the Big Ten in points scored and 12th in the Big Ten in points allowed. If Northwestern is going to improve at all, Ryan Hilinski will need to take a huge step forward and that big of a leap does not seem possible.
The Bet
Sep 11, 2021; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats safety Brandon Joseph (16) runs back a punt against the Indiana State Sycamores during the second half at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
I am not trying to convince anyone that Northwestern is good or bad, but we need to determine whether or not they can win more than 3.5 games. Let’s do the same exercise we did with Nebraska and put the games into three categories, likely wins, likely losses, and 50/50.
Likely Wins: Duke, Southern Illinois, and Illinois
Likely Losses: Nebraska, Penn State, Wisconsin, Maryland, Iowa, Ohio State, and Purdue
50/50: Miami (OH) & Minnesota
I am not touching this total, but I lean towards the under 3.5. The Wildcats were miserable last season and even in run defense, where they typically look solid was downright pathetic. Not enough optimism for my wallet.