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Northwestern Wildcats: Big Ten West
The Northwestern Wildcats started the 2020 Big Ten season undefeated before losing on the road at Michigan State. Pat Fitzgerald led Northwestern to the Big Ten championship game in 2020.
Fitzgerald will now enter his 16th season as the Wildcats' head coach.
The Wildcats have lost a lot of talent on defense, with Greg Newsome II and Paddy Fisher heading to the NFL. They also lost starting quarterback Peyton Ramsey, who'll be a big miss.
Northwestern will enter the 2021 season with questions at quarterback. Here's a quick look at the strengths and weaknesses of the Northwestern Wildcats.
2021-2022 Big Ten West Conference preview: Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern's strengths: Despite losing their top cornerback to the NFL draft, Northwestern still has a lot of talent at corner. The Wildcats secondary ranks third in the Big Ten heading into the 2021 season. Northwestern's offensive line also ranks in the top ten in the Big Ten at number six.
Northwestern's weaknesses: To no one's surprise, the Northwestern offense will be the weakest part of the team. The Wildcats are bottom of the Big Ten in the quarterback and running back positions, and second to last in receiving outside of their offensive line. It's going to be a challenging time for Northwestern.
Northwestern Wildcats key players: Offense
C: Sam Gerak - Northwestern has struggled with consistency on the offensive line over the past two seasons. Gerak played a role in that inconsistency problem. He turned everything around during the 2020 season, though, when he didn't allow a single sack or hit on Peyton Ramsey.
WR: Stephon Robinson Jr. - Robinson made his way to Northwestern through the transfer portal. He played his first three years with the Kansas Jayhawks before attending Northwestern. Kansas isn't known for its success in football, but Robinson was a bright spot, catching 75 passes for 1,092 yards and nine touchdowns.
Northwestern Wildcats key players: Defense
CB: A.J. Hampton - Since his freshman season, A.J. Hampton has made massive improvements during his sophomore and junior years at Northwestern. Hampton enters the 2021 season with 29 solo tackles, four pass deflections and two interceptions. He's coming off back-to-back seasons with an interception.
S: Brandon Joseph - The leader of the Northwestern defensive secondary is safety Brandon Joseph. His improvements from his first year and second year are almost unheard of on defense. Joseph registered 26 solo tackles and six interceptions in 2020, which, compared to 2019, is a massive jump considering he only had four solo tackles and zero interceptions in 2019.
2021-2022 Northwestern Wildcats schedule
Week 1: Friday, September 3 vs. Michigan State Spartans
Week 2: Saturday, September 11 vs. Indiana State Sycamores
Week 3: Saturday, September 18 at Duke Blue Devils
Week 4: Saturday, September 25 vs. Ohio Bobcats
Week 5: Saturday, October 2 at Nebraska Cornhuskers
Week 6: Saturday, October 16 vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Week 7: Saturday, October 23 at Michigan Wolverines
Week 8: Saturday, October 30 vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Week 9: Saturday, November 6 vs. Iowa Hawkeyes
Week 10: Saturday, November 13 at Wisconsin Badgers
Week 11: Saturday, November 20 vs. Purdue Boilermakers
Week 12: Saturday, November 27 at Illinois Fighting Illini
2021-2022 Northwestern Wildcats prediction (9-3 overall, 6-3 Big Ten)
Northwestern may play one of the weaker Big Ten schedules in 2021. The Wildcats should win six out of nine Big Ten conference games. Their non-Big Ten games are not against elite football programs. The Wildcats play Ohio, Duke and Indiana State, which should be good tune-up games for Northwestern.
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