Why Northwestern will/won't beat Stanford

Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY SportsEnvisioning the scenarios in which Northwestern wins or loses on Saturday.

Every Thursday during football season, we'll be presenting reasons why Northwestern will or won't come away from its Saturday game victorious. It's not so much an argument for or against either result as it is envisioning the scenarios in which the Wildcats come away from the game with a win or a loss.

To open the season, Northwestern is a double-digit underdog heading into this weekend's clash against Stanford (11 a.m. CT, ESPN). The Cardinal have been one of the nation's best programs over the past half-decade. Ian McCafferty and Zach Pereles give their ideas on why the Wildcats will or…