College Football Predictions – Northwestern Wildcats 2017 NCAA Football Preview
2016 Recap
2016 Record – 7-6
2016 ATS – 8-5
It was close. But they got there.
It took the final game of the season for the Wildcats to grab bowl eligibility when they bagged a home win vs Illinois. The year got off to a bit of a slow start at 0-2 which included a loss to Illinois St, but as is usually the case, the Wildcats remained scrappy and fought to the bitter end. They beat Pitt in the Pinstripe Bowl to finish at 7-6.
2017 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
Big 10 – TBD
West Division – TBD
OFFENSE
The Wildcats enter the 2017 season with a rock solid situation at QB. Clayton Thorson was UNDER THE RADAR last year and quietly threw for over 3,100 yards and 22 TDs. The expectation is for him to take another step forward this year but he will have to do it without #1 WR Austin Carr who had over 1,200 (!) yards receiving in 2016 to go along with 12 TDs. Hopefully someone will emerge as a deep threat to allow Northwestern to open up the ground attack. Speaking of which, Northwestern will boast one of the best RBs in the Big 10 in Justin Jackson, and he tallied over 1,500 yards and 15 TDs on the ground. Jackson also found time to catch 35 passes out of the backfield. The offensive line returns 4/5 starters but will need to improve in pass protection as they yielded 39 sacks in 2016 (2nd last Big 10).
DEFENSE
The Wildcats return 8 starters to a defense that allowed only 22 points per game last season. Things look pretty solid on the DL as Northwestern returns 3/4 starters with good size on the inside. They will have to deal with the loss of last season’s leading sack man Ifeadi Odenigbo. The LB unit will miss 2nd Team Big 10 honoree Anthony Walker but do have a very experienced secondary with everyone from last season’s group back for duty in 2017. This includes star S Godwin Igwebuike who lead the team in tackles in 2016. It seems to us that the Wildcats are poised for more success.
SPECIAL TEAMS
It’s a mixed bag. They will go with a new PK which is always a bit of an unknown. P Hunter Niswander was decent last season and Solomon Vault had a KR TD.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot
October 14 – at Maryland. This game pops up after consecutive road tilts vs Wisconsin and Penn St. A meeting with Iowa is on deck. Just survive, baby.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
The last time Northwestern had a negative turnover margin was in 2010 (-1).
HC Pat Fitzgerald has been amazingly consistent whether it be at home (.575) or on the road (.554). Place your wagers accordingly.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 7.5
MEGALOCKS says:
Overall, we give the WILDCATS a 7.5 ATS Value Rating (Very Good) this season.
The stars seem to be aligned. Northwestern should be able to start the season 3-0 and head on the road to Wisconsin off a bye week. If they can somehow win that game, make no mistake, they are going to be tough to catch in the Big 10 West race.
The Wildcats are 16-10 ATS the past two seasons and we hesitate just a bit giving them a ringing endorsement. The reality is, however, that when you combine solid QB play with a good running game AND solid defense not much can go wrong. Theoretically, at least. We project the Wildcats to have another solid year in the win column and vs Vegas.
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