The 2017 Northwestern football season is almost upon us. It feels like just yesterday that Pat Fitzgerald and the boys were celebrating a Pinstripe Bowl victory on the field at Yankee Stadium, but now nine months have passed and it’s time to see if Northwestern can capitalize on last year’s success.
In the lead-up to the season, the Wildcats have become a dark horse candidate in the Big Ten, slotting in right under the big four of Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin. There’s been massive optimism surrounding the program for a couple years now, even after suffering back to back 5-7 campaigns in 2013 and 2014.