Northwestern Football Receives Pessimistic Big Ten Prediction

The Wildcats will have an uphill battle in one of the toughest conferences in the country.

Oct 19, 2024; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats defensive lineman Najee Story (95) sacks Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Braedyn Locke (not pictured) during the first half at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Following a difficult 4-8 season in 2024, Northwestern attacked the offseason in a way it had never done before. The Wildcats added a program-record 14 transfers from the portal, including projected starting quarterback Preston Stone.

However, the winter and spring acquisitions have not appeared to move the needle for oddsmakers and analysts. In his annual preview, college football writer Phil Steele ranked how he believes the 18 Big Ten teams stack up ahead of the fall season, and the Wildcats are much closer to the bottom of the conference than the top.

Steele predicted the Wildcats to finish 16th, ahead of only Maryland and Purdue. It's the same place that Northwestern held during last season's 4-8 campaign in which the 'Cats were just 2-7 in Big Ten play. As much as NU improved its roster with offseason additions, Steele seems unfazed, as does On3 writer Dan Morrison.

"The hope, after [David Braun] took over amid a scandal and brought the Wildcats to a bowl in 2023, is to return to that kind of form in 2025," Morrison said in response to Steele's ranking. "After all, that season it seemed like Northwestern was in terrible shape but they were able to overcome it. Of course, amid continued stadium renovation, Northwestern will face challenges and questions on the field. Their schedule is one of the toughest around and their talent doesn’t generally hold up well in the Big Ten. So, it’s easy to see why Steele has them at 16th overall."

ESPN's FPI metric gives Northwestern just a 17.3% chance to win six games and reach a bowl game. ESPN BET also has the Wildcats as +50000 outsiders to win the Big Ten, an expected longshot chance in a league that features Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan.

Oddsmakers may not believe in Northwestern, but anything is possible for a team that completely overhauled its roster during the offseason.