Double-digit-win seasons are pretty rare in Evanston. Pat Fitzgerald has been able to produce two of them (2012 and 2015), but the program as a whole has only ever produced four (1903 and 1995).
Wins, in almost all cases, lead to wins on the recruiting trail as well, making a 10-win season ever more important. Recruiting results often trail a year behind on-field results. That was the case in 2012, when high school juniors such as Clayton Thorson and Justin Jackson watched Northwestern win 10 games, including an impressive win over Mississippi State in the TaxSlayer.