In 2020, I had an idea. A dumb, only-brilliant-if-you’re-a-college-football-sicko idea, but an idea nonetheless.
When reviewing Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings on ESPN (widely regarded as the best single number team metric in the public sphere of college football), it struck me just how disparate Northwestern’s two units were in their placement.
Heading into their opening contest vs. Maryland, the ‘Cats ranked sixth in the entire FBS in Defensive SP+, yet were still only slotted at 54th overall, as they were weighted down by an offense ranked 117th in the same metric.
The gap somewhat closed toward the season’s end, with NU rising to third and 93rd in Defensive and Offensive SP+, respectively, and there was no debate following the Citrus Bowl that Northwestern had proven themselves as one of the more formidable teams in all of college football in the pandemic-altered year.