It sounds kind of crazy, but it is true- Northwestern football could be a better team this year than they were last year. Or at least we should see 2023 Northwestern football finish with a better record than 2022 Northwestern football did.
Yes, despite the hazing scandal, the Pat Fitzgerald firing and all of the fallout from that (and there is still much more to come), the Wildcats should have a better record than last year’s 1-11 (1-8 in the Big Ten).
When you haven’t won a game on American soil since Oct 16, 2021 (Homecoming over Rutgers), well, as Howard Jones would say “things can only get better.”
Sadly, Back to the 80s?
We’re throwing back to the 80s in more ways than one- not just with our musical references. It is quite possible that the Fitzgerald firing, while the absolutely right thing to do, bombs this program back into the Stone Age of pre 1995 Northwestern.
How ugly were the early ’90s, the entire 1980s and 1970s in Evanston?
Well, they were hands down the worst major conference program, by some margin, for quite awhile (We explored this in detail already here). And a return to those dark days could indeed be in store, until this program gets a full reset.
Then again, maybe we’re already there. The program is already 4-20 the past two seasons. Not to mention the downward shift started back in 2019, when the team was actually worse than their 3-9 record indicated, during the season that was sandwiched in between the two Big Ten West division title campaigns.
We’ve explored the topics of David Braun and Northwestern football in guest segments on both ESPN Radio and WGN News Now.
But enough with the past, let’s instead look and ahead, and and analyze the sisyphean task ahead for David Braun this season.
2023 Northwestern Football Winnable Games
Rutgers is Rutgers again, and most of the preseason rankings, the ones that cover every single FBS team, rank RU somewhere in the 80s and even the 90s some time.
For the season opener, at their place on Labor Day eve, the Cats are only +7 right now.
So this would only be a mild upset- do the Cats ride in with enough adrenaline and emotion to pull it off? You can call this game the If The Big Ten Expands Too Much And Needs To Make Some Cuts These Two Will Be The First To Go Bowl.
For week two, the home opener, the opponent is UTEP, who come in at #114 according to Team Rankings.com (they have NU #107 for what it’s worth). Northwestern could seriously be 2-0 here, after going 1-11 last year.
However, there is only one likely W left on the schedule- Oct 7, versus FCS Howard. The Wildcats should win at least two of these three games.
Maybe a Crazy Upset Could Happen?
Purdue might be a reach, as they are the defending division champs, but they are reeling and rebuilding this season. The talent gap between them and Northwestern is substantial, yes, but it is not as wide as you might think.
Plus it’s Purdue- who else in the Big Ten consistently finds the banana peel to slip on fall?
Although I still think the Boilermakers will get the W. Moving on to Nebraska, well Northwestern somehow beat them last year, despite having their worst season since 1989.
I do think the Cornhuskers should be fine, and that in future years going forward, this won’t even be a discussion. But this year…crazy things could happen.
2023 Northwestern Football Guaranteed Ls
The Duke series has been a total disaster for Northwestern football, even in years when the Cats are good, so forget that game. It’ll be ugly, ditto for the visit from Penn State, who are ranked in the top 10 in preseason polls.
Also, I feel like this season we have four BTW division title contenders: Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. Can’t see Northwestern being competitive against any of them in 2023. Just look back at how those games went last season, for more on that.
2023 Northwestern Football Fearless Predictions
3-9 Not sure how they get to three wins, but I am calling that they do!
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.