Northwestern received a No. 55 ranking in Fox Sports’ “Ultimate 136” preseason list, according to national analyst RJ Young.
The Wildcats outranked five Big Ten opponents in Young’s rankings. Rutgers landed at No. 62, Minnesota at No. 69, Maryland at No. 76, Michigan State at No. 97 and Purdue at No. 99.
David Braun enters his second full season as head coach with one of the lowest championship odds in the conference.
“Former South Dakota State offensive coordinator Zach Lujan will partner with former SMU QB Preston Stone and look to improve an offense that was among the worst in the Big Ten last year. Stone will be throwing the ball to former South Dakota State WR Griffin Wilde this year, but can they produce points for a team that opens the season with two of their first three games coming against Tulane and Oregon?”
Young’s assessment centers on whether the new offensive system can generate points. Northwestern’s offense struggled significantly last season across most statistical categories.
Preston Stone’s performance will determine much of the team’s success this fall.
The SMU transfer was named Northwestern’s player to watch by ESPN’s David Pollack. However, expectations remain mixed for the quarterback position.
On3’s Andy Staples left Stone out of his top-10 Big Ten quarterback rankings last month.
Sportsbooks project Northwestern to finish with 3.5 wins this season. The over carries -192 odds while the under sits at +154.
The Wildcats are projected to finish 17th out of 18 Big Ten teams despite the addition of Stone and new offensive coordinator Zach Lujan.
Northwestern’s schedule includes four ranked conference opponents. The Wildcats face No. 7 Oregon in Week 3, No. 2 Penn State in Week 6, No. 14 Michigan in Week 10 and No. 12 Illinois in Week 12.
The season opener against Tulane will provide an early test for the revamped offensive system. Stone reunites with receiver Griffin Wilde, who followed Lujan from South Dakota State.
