College football fever has struck Evanston, and Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium will soon play host to a sellout season opener between Northwestern and Miami (Ohio).
But, before the opening kickoff, here is a look at how The Daily’s Gameday staffers think the 2024 season will play out for The Wildcats.
Record: 5-7 (3-6 Big Ten)
Key Player: Cam Porter
Breakout Contender: Kenny Soares Jr.
If Northwestern has any dreams of repeating its run to a bowl game, the Wildcats will have to start strong. Their nonconference schedule lends to a promising start. Coach David Braun’s team has favorable matchups against Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Illinois. NU will also face a very different Duke team than they faced last season. The ’Cats should head into conference play with at least two wins, with a third being well within the realm of possibility.
There does not seem to be much hope for NU in matchups against strong programs like Washington, Ohio State and Michigan. The team should nab wins against Indiana and Purdue, teams that finished in the lower half of the Big Ten last season.
Wins against Maryland, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois will be tough to come by, but NU should come home with The Land of Lincoln Trophy for the second year in a row.
Ultimately, Northwestern’s conference schedule will make it tough for the ’Cats to repeat a bowl appearance.
— Anna Watson, Senior Staffer
Record: 5-7 (2-7 Big Ten)
Key Player: Cam Porter
Breakout Contender: Mike Wright
Questions arise and wonders fly as the 2024-25 college football season kicks off and one of the biggest inquiries of many falls with Northwestern. As the ‘Cats ended the 2023 season on a very high note under David Braun’s leadership, they will need to carry that momentum into this year with the arrival of some juggernauts in the Big Ten.
As the non- conference schedule seems promising, NU must take care of business against some dark horses that could pose threats to a 3-0 start. Kicking off the season against Miami (Ohio) and then Duke before meeting Eastern Illinois, the ‘Cats should enter conference play with at least two victories.
A repeat of last season’s four game hot streak finale looks slim, which is why picking up wins in other areas this year is very vital for NU to secure a postseason appearance.
Opening up Big Ten play in Seattle against 2023 National Champion runner-up Washington isn’t ideal, even with the Huskies’ revamp. Picking up wins in the middle of the season will be very key as NU closes the season with back-to-back matchups of Ohio State and Michigan before the finale against a tough Illinois squad.
It’s apparent that something could be brewing in Evanston, but it has to start somewhere. Expect the ‘Cats to pick up at least five wins this year with the possibility of a six-or-seven-win year and yet another postseason matchup.
— Blake McQueary, Reporter
Record: 5-7 (3-6 Big Ten)
Key Player: Mike Wright
Breakout Contender: Calvin Johnson II
After a 3-4 start to last season, Northwestern finally turned into the squad that Wildcat fans had been waiting on for years. The 4-1 end to the season helped catapult the Wildcats to its first bowl appearance in three years. In year two under David Braun, the question remains of whether NU will be able to find similar magic.
With a veteran wideout group and new quarterback under center, the ’Cats should be poised for another year of success. But the competition in the Big Ten has only gotten tougher with the addition of four Pac-12 powerhouses.
This makes the non-conference portion of their schedule all the more important to pick up wins. Should they go 3-0, including a gritty home win against ACC foe Duke, NU could be playing postseason football for the second consecutive season.
But this Big Ten schedule may just be too much for this team to handle. Road games against Washington, Michigan and Iowa and a home bout against Ohio State could all likely end in defeat and cause the Wildcats to be on the outside looking in come December.
— Brendan Lunga, Reporter
Record: 6-6 (4-5 Big Ten)
Key Player: Xander Mueller
Breakout Contender: Anto Saka
After Northwestern won just a combined four games in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, 2023 saw the script flip. Under new head coach David Braun, the Wildcats ended the season with an 8-5 record, sending off Ryan Field in the winning ways it deserved.
NU went 2-1 in nonconference play last season with wins over UTEP and Howard despite a loss to Duke. It marked the program’s first time going over .500 during its nonconference schedule since 2019. With three home games lined up against Miami (Ohio), Duke and Eastern Illinois, the ’Cats should be able to go back-to-back seasons over .500 against non-Big Ten opponents.
Sticking out like a sore thumb on NU’s schedule is back-to-back games against No. 2 Ohio State and No. 9 Michigan in November. Defeating either of these two perennial Big Ten title contenders seems like a tall task, as does beating No. 25 Iowa on the road in late October.
With that said, the remaining games of the Big Ten slate for the ’Cats do not appear to be incredibly difficult victories. Washington could pose a threat despite losing many of their top-end talents, but the likes of Maryland, Wisconsin, Purdue and Illinois all fell to NU just one season ago.
Braun and company could very well be bowling again in December.
— Charlie Spungin, Data Visualizations Editor
Record: 7-5 (4-5 Big Ten)
Key Player: Mike Wright or Jack Lausch
Breakout Contender: Calvin Johnson II
Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium is preparing for a sellout crowd when Northwestern takes on Miami (OH) Saturday afternoon.
The Wildcats, fresh off an expectation-defying, eight-win, Las Vegas Bowl-winning season, look to build on the buzz created from now-permanent head coach David Braun’s first year at the helm.
The starting quarterback, shrouded in secrecy by Braun ahead of Week 1, will make or break the NU season. There’s the graduate transfer, Mike Wright, utilizing his experiences with two SEC squads and crafty scrambling ability. And then there’s the sophomore, Jack Lausch, the baseball prospect turned gunslinger, another solid runner. With new offensive coordinator Zach Lujan coming on board, the mobility of each quarterback will be key to executing the former South Dakota State offensive coordinator’s creative, motion-heavy offense.
The nonconference schedule sees Northwestern going up against last year’s MAC champion RedHawks, armed with sixth-year quarterback Brett Gabbert. But facing a Duke program with a new head coach and no Riley Leonard Week 2, the ’Cats have a chance to earn their first win against the Blue Devils since 2016.
Facing new Big Ten foe Washington in the conference opener will be challenging. So will taking on the conference’s two juggernauts –– Michigan and Ohio State –– back-to-back. But if NU can take care of business in contests against teams they beat last year –– Purdue, Maryland, Wisconsin and Illinois –– Braun will go two for two in bowl game appearances.
— Henry Frieman, Sports Editor
Record: 6-6 (4-5 Big Ten)
Key Player: Xander Mueller
Breakout Contender: Joseph Himon II
One of college football’s most stunning success stories in 2023, Northwestern will enter the second chapter of the David Braun era with an optimistic aura alongside Lake Michigan. With great promise comes an even greater challenge, as the realigned Big Ten boasts a lofty strength of schedule for the Wildcats.
The nonconference slate appears manageable, but NU cannot repeat the same inexplicable woes that plagued its 1-11 2022 season. With early matchups against Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Illinois, the ’Cats should nab at least two victories prior to Big Ten play.
While NU ripped off a four-game winning streak at last season’s conclusion, Braun’s squad possesses far less room for error this year.
Opening conference play at Washington is a difficult test, even with the Huskies’ new look since their national title game appearance. With November’s back-to-back gauntlet of Ohio State and Michigan, the ’Cats must pick up slack in other parts of the conference schedule to pave the way for a bowl bid.
Chalk it up to a newfound feeling of hope, but it’s reasonable to project a five-or-six-win year for NU. And with the school’s elite APR, that’ll be enough to see the ’Cats bowling once again.
— Jake Epstein, Gameday Editor
Record: 5-7 (3-6 Big Ten)
Key Player: Mike Wright/Jack Lausch
Breakout Contender: Cam Porter
Let’s start by stating the obvious: This is a Northwestern team that vastly exceeded expectations last season. After going over 700 days without a win in the United States, losing the best player and coach in program history and hazing allegations shadowing Northwestern football, what David Braun’s squad did — an 8-5 record and a bowl win — was nothing short of miraculous.
That starts with Braun himself, who installed a mentality that no task is too big and the Wildcats were never fighting a losing battle. It’s one of the reasons that NU hired him to be the permanent head football coach for years to come. As long as he’s around, he’ll bring an attitude that NU can reach the mountaintop.
But, the ‘Cats face one of the most difficult challenges in college football this fall. They have the third hardest schedule in the country with opponents having a winning percentage of 66.2% in 2023. It includes road matchups against Michigan and Washington, who both made the National Championship last season, a re-loaded Ohio State team that has their best roster in years and other tough Big Ten matchups.
Still, there are winnable games on the schedule. NU is favored against Miami Ohio this weekend and looks to start off with a victory. We can pencil in Sept. 14’s bout against Eastern Illinois as a win. There are toss-up conference games — including Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin and Maryland. If NU can win some of these, they’ll find themselves in bowl contention once again.
A lot is yet to be figured out when it comes to the ’Cats: whether the starting quarterback battle between Mike Wright and Jack Lausch, which wide receiver will pick up Cam Johnson’s production and if the defense can take another step forward. But NU has stability — playmakers in A.J. Henning, Bryce Kirtz, Cam Porter, to name a few and returners on the defensive line and linebacker core. The foundation is there.
Don’t be surprised if NU takes a step back record-wise. The ‘Cats have one of the hardest schedules in America and with conference realignment, there’s no more Big Ten West to give them a few wins. Though, this is not a bad Northwestern football team and should be contending for a bowl game once again. That’s good for Braun’s first full-year as head coach.
— Jake Mozarsky, Reporter
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— Football: Northwestern set for season opener against Miami (Ohio)
— Football: Key returners look to lead Northwestern to another successful season
— Lausch vs. Wright: Northwestern’s quarterback competition pits experience against familiarity
