Northwestern Wildcats 2025 Football Preview, Prediction, Betting Ideas

Northwestern Wildcats

2024 Record:4-8

View From Afar: Let's hop in these weeds together, people, Northwestern Football. Playing their game's last season at the Lakeside Facility, the Wildcats in year two of the David Braun era finished 4-8. A fall back to reality for the team that shocked everyone by going 7-5 the year prior, when everyone thought they were dead to rights after Fitzgerald(old coach) left before the season. Ryan Field is not quite ready to roll for '25, so Big 10 teams will once again have the nutty experience of playing in front of just over 10,000 fans on the lake. What I liked looking into this Wildcat program is you've got a guy in charge who cares about brotherhood, development, and competing, cause you're going to need that for this group in the new look Big 10! Lujan will be back as offensive coordinator, the man who won back-to-back titles for South Dakota State only a few years ago. McGarigle, the all-time leader in tackles in program history, will be back as defensive coordinator, so we also have some nice continuity here. The significant addition, no doubt, comes in the form of former SMU QB Preston Stone. People certainly have short memories, as many folks were talking about how intriguing he might be with SMU moving over to the ACC this time last year. After losing his job to Jennings, he became an afterthought, but now with his transfer to Northwestern, he will have a chance to show what he can do. Don't forget he threw for over 3,000 yards in the American in 2023, leading the Mustangs to an 11-3 record. This team most certainly needs to squeeze the towel on every drop of talent it has this season, but some of the things you read and see have me feeling quite intrigued by these Wildcats!

Recruiting: Northwestern has finished 17 of 18 in the Big 10 recruiting rankings in back-to-back seasons. A great academic institution like Northwestern probably doesn't allow much bending of the rules! Mason Mayne is the four-star defensive Lineman who seems to be the standout. I'll keep my eye's peeled if he sees action.

Portal: Northwestern comes in at 14 of 18 in the Big 10 rankings. You really hate to see losing guys to Oregon, LSU, Baylor, and all those guys look poised to have a role, so that certainly dents the talent here. Having said that, I do like the Stone addition quite a bit. I also love getting a couple of guys from South Dakota State on offense. Surely, Coordinator Lujan still has an excellent connection to that program (Alma Mater and Coach), so he wouldn't be taking them without good intel. Griffin Wilde, the WR from South Dakota State, graded out spectacularly on PFF, as did Beerntsen(OL). Xavier Gray is a name to note. The first team is all CUSA coming over from Liberty, and it is listed at 6'8 340!! Defensively, Fred Davis (CB) comes over from Jacksonville State, the CUSA champs, to shore up some of the losses in the secondary.

Key Roster Departures: Northwestern had no players drafted this year.

Roster tidbits: For a team that emphasizes brotherhood and all those buzz words, this team could be feisty! Starting with the O-Line, Bailey (C) returning after getting hurt 5 weeks in, Tiernan and Herzog graded out well, coupled with those transfers, as well as some younger players like Birsa and Cotton, and we might have a unit! The RBs behind that line will be solid with Himon and Porter. The weapons will be interesting, outside of Wilde, there are certainly question marks. It could be a pretty grim pass-catching unit. Defensively, I like some things! The d-line should be solid and relatively deep by Northwestern standards. Saka, Hubbard, Bastone, and Kilbane all graded out well a year ago, and Miguel Jackson, a transfer from Utah State, had a solid start before injury. Mac Uihlein led the team in tackles a year ago and will be back to lead the LB corps. The secondary returns a few that got solid game time from a year ago; Fitzgerald was a standout. Turner, Fussell, and the transfer, as mentioned earlier, Davis, will look to provide solid coverage on the back end.

Statistical Pulse: The Wildcats were 111th in the nation with 185 yards passing per game a year ago. They graded last in the Big 10 in passing offense and second last in rushing offense. Northwestern were 11th in the nation in penalty yards per game last season, that's a well disciplined well coached ball club.

Schedule: Roadie to New Orleans to open things up! Tulane will once again be a G5 playoff spot contender, so it will be a very interesting test for both sides. What I will say is I do like how the schedule sets up. After the week 3 matchup with Oregon, you get a bye to gather the troops. Then you get UCLA and ULM at home. You simply need those two if you want a bowl chance. Getting Purdue and Minnesota at your place is also nice by Big 10 standards.

Prediction: Look for all the challenges of this program; they did finish 7-5 two seasons ago, and hell, last year beat Purdue and obliterated Maryland on the road. This team has fight and grit, seemingly! Now they also have a competent quarterback. Granted, he may not have that many options to throw to! But I like this team's trenches, which will be enough to get them to a bowl game. This Wildcat group will scratch and claw and drag the opponent into deep waters. Honestly, don't be surprised if this group gives a ranked team a scare this season. Oregon week 3 is one I will have my eyes peeled for if the Ducks haven't sorted out the issues with stopping the run. Wildcats go 6-6, that Tulane opener is massive, but I wouldn't be surprised to see this group come out of New Orleans with a W, and get themselves back to a bowl!

Actionable: Northwestern over 3.5 wins( -145 DK) I AM POUNDING THE TABLE HERE. I'm a sucker for brotherhood, grit, and culture! But come on, Braun showed he could get this team competitive when healthy, and a couple of breaks. With Preston Stone under center and a solid defense, this will not be an easy out for most teams. 3.5 feels disrespectful.