Before every season, when prognosticators across the country make their college football predictions, there’s always talk about the sleeper — the team that isn’t picked to win its conference but is expected to at least be in the conversation.
This year, no squad in the Big Ten may fit that description better than Northwestern.
All the components of being that conference dark horse are in Evanston, Ill. The Wildcats are coming off one of their best seasons in nearly a decade, which ended with a trip to the Alamo Bowl. Northwestern didn’t beat Missouri that night, but it took the Tigers to the brink in a 30-23 overtime loss.
In addition, the expectations are rising as Pat Fitzgerald enters his fourth season as head coach.
Taking on the identity of the former Wildcat linebacker, Northwestern should have a strong defense with eight starters returning from last year, including the likes of defensive end Corey Wootton and cornerback Sherrick McManis.
Wootton had 16 tackles for loss in 2008, and McManis led the team with 14 pass break-ups.
“We have eight starters coming back, and we have a bunch of players who had significant playing time that weren’t a bunch of starters,” Wootton said at Big Ten media days in Chicago. “I feel confident in our defense and the scheme [Mike] Hankwitz, our defensive coordinator, has.”
But on offense, the Wildcats do have issues to address. Gone are the likes of C.J. Bachér, Tyrell Sutton, and Eric Peterman. Filling the void left by Bachér is senior quarterback Mike Kafka, who gained some playing experience last season and enters the fall on the Unitas Award watch list.
In a game against Minnesota last season, Kafka came in and rushed for 217 yards on the ground, the most rushing yards ever by a Big Ten signal-caller in a game.
“He’s a great player, a great runner, [and] a great passer,” Wootton said. “I think the Big Ten is going to see a real prolific athlete.”
But perhaps the one ingredient that could make Northwestern a team in the thick of the Big Ten race come November is its 2009 schedule. In conference play, the Wildcats avoid both Michigan and Ohio State, much like Iowa and Indiana both did the past two seasons.
Given the way its slate plays out, the thought of Northwestern going into its Oct. 17 contest at Michigan State with a 6-0 overall record is not far-fetched. The Wildcats will open up with home games against Towson and Eastern Michigan, then follow with a trip to Big East cellar-dweller Syracuse.
Northwestern then will host a Minnesota team it has beaten the past two seasons to open Big Ten play, followed by a trip to Purdue and another home game against Miami (Ohio).
The tail end of the Wildcats’ season is when things get intriguing. After a home game against Indiana, Northwestern’s final four contests are at home against Penn State, at Iowa, at Illinois, and at home again against Wisconsin.
The final result this season may not be a Big Ten title for Northwestern, something the Wildcats haven’t clinched at least a share of since 2000, but the odds of reaching a second-consecutive bowl game for the first time since its glory seasons in 1995 and 1996 look real strong.
“Obviously, we’ve changed the attitude and tides here in the Big Ten, and that’s by recruiting the right fit and right quality young men and tremendous support from the university, and our fans, and alumni,” Fitzgerald said at Big Ten media days. “I think we’re just scratching the surface.”