Northwestern was one of the top college football programs in the nation in 2020, claiming a Big Ten West Championship and pushing Ohio State hard in the Big Ten Championship before falling, 22-10. They took on Auburn in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day and rolled to a 35-19 win. Key wins included a one-point win at Iowa and a ten-point win at home against Wisconsin.
Let’s look at the Wildcats’ online college football betting prospects going into 2021.
NCAA News: Northwestern Calendar, Betting Odds & Analysis
The Northwestern Offense
The offense will feature a new quarterback in 2021 after the departure of Peyton Ramsey; one complaint about the 2020 offense was its inability to generate big plays, a problem that became vividly apparent in the Big Ten Championship against Ohio State. Mike Bajakian improved the team’s red zone efficiency in his first year calling plays, and now it is time to find plays that pick up yards quickly. Northwestern averaged 4.79 yards per play in 2020, good for 110th in the nation. Tailback Cam Porter emerged late in the season as a real find, and he forms a nice tandem with Evan Hull, who has a career rushing average of 7.0 yards per carry.
The Northwestern Defense
In 2020, the Wildcats’ defense was likely the best in the history of the program, as they only permitted 15.9 points per game. That led to some departures at all three levels, and coordinator Mike Hankwitz retired at the end of a storied 51-year coaching career. Jim O’Neil comes on as the new coordinator of a unit that is already solid but needs improvement in such areas as the blitz. Junior Adetomiwa Adebawore has the potential to terrorize opposing quarterbacks, and Samdup Miller, with 35 career starts, is back after a 2020 opt-out season. The secondary lost shutdown corner Greg Newsome II, but All-America safety Brandon Joseph returns after picking off six passes in 2020. Blake Gallagher and Paddy Fisher departed from the linebacker position, but Chris Bergin, the other anchor at that position, returns for a fifth year of eligibility. Bryce Gallagher and Peter McIntyre look poised to fill those two gaps in the lineup.
What the Wildcats Need on Offense
The O-line had to deal with Rashawn Slater opting out in 2020, and he went in the first round of the NFL draft. However, Peter Skoronski filled in for him at left tackle as a true freshman and established himself as an elite talent in his own right. Guard Ethan Wiederkehr and center Sam Gerak return for 2021, as do tight ends Trey Pugh and Charlie Mangieri. Bajakian’s offense focuses on featuring tight ends in the passing game, so those two will have plenty of chances.
At quarterback, Northwestern has to choose between transfer Ryan Hilinski, who was the starter for South Carolina in 2019, at that time a true freshman, and who has a cannon arm. Hunter Johnson, the Clemson transfer (and the highest quarterback prospect in 2017, according to ESPN) and senior Andrew Marty are also competing for the starting job. The wide receiving corps is the biggest question on this side of the ball, as Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman has departed. Berkeley Holman and Bryce Kirtz have the speed to stretch the field, and J.J. Jefferson returns after opting out in 2020, and Stephon Robinson Jr transferred in from Kansas, bringing in a career average of 14.6 yards per catch.
Concluding Thoughts
The keys for Northwestern this season include finding the right quarterback so that they can develop a passing game that moves the ball down the field. Northwestern does not face Penn State or Ohio State this season, although they have a challenging stretch in the middle of the season, visiting Michigan before facing Minnesota and Iowa at home, and then heading to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers. All things considered, though, if the turnover at quarterback and linebacker can go smoothly, the Wildcats could make the Big Ten Championship once again.
2021 Schedule
| September 3 | vs Michigan State |
| September 11 | vs Indiana State |
| September 18 | at Duke |
| September 25 | vs Ohio U. |
| October 2 | at Nebraska |
| October 9 | BYE |
| October 16 | vs Rutgers |
| October 23 | at Michigan |
| October 30 | vs Minnesota |
| November 6 | vs Iowa |
| November 13 | at Wisconsin |
| November 20 | vs Purdue |
| November 27 | at Illinois |
| December 4 | Big Ten Championship |
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