Northwestern football faces massive talent gap in latest 18-team Big Ten predictions
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Northwestern football faces massive talent gap in latest 18-team Big Ten predictions originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
When Northwestern lured Chip Kelly to Evanston to take over as offensive coordinator, it was widely hailed as a massive coup. Kelly brings a brilliant offensive mind and a proven track record to a program historically starved for explosive playmaking. But in the ruthless landscape of the 18-team Big Ten, a scheme can only cover up so many roster deficiencies.
The expanded College Football Playoff structure offers a lifeline to many programs navigating the super-conference era, but for Northwestern, simply reaching bowl eligibility remains a massive hurdle.
MORE: Why the College Football Playoff field should expand to 16
According to CBS Sports analyst Brad Crawford’s predictions, the Kelly hire won't be enough to save the Wildcats from a brutal reality, projecting a dismal 4-8 regular-season finish with just a single victory in conference play.
If you only tune in for the first three weeks, the Wildcats might look like a revitalized program. Crawford’s model projects Northwestern to steamroll through its non-conference schedule, picking up consecutive victories against South Dakota, Colorado, and Ball State. A 3-0 start will have fans buying into the Chip Kelly hype. But the moment conference play begins, the bottom completely falls out.
MORE: College football rankings post-spring Top 25
The harsh truth about Northwestern's outlook is rooted in personnel, not coaching. Kelly's high-octane system requires elite athletes to execute it efficiently.
"The offseason addition of Chip Kelly as their new offensive coordinator was an intriguing get for the Wildcats, but he's not going to have talent overflow like he's had at many of his coaching stops," Crawford wrote, pointing directly to Kelly's high-octane days at Oregon. "Northwestern still faces a significant talent gap against much of the Big Ten and lacks the depth necessary to reach for a high-end finish."
The talent discrepancy becomes glaringly obvious when looking at the conference gauntlet. Aside from a lone projected victory against Rutgers, Crawford expects the Wildcats to suffer an eight-game Big Ten bloodbath. The schedule offers zero favors, predicting massive losses to Indiana, Penn State, Michigan State, Oregon, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State, and in-state rival Illinois.
Even if Kelly successfully elevates the offensive output, Crawford questions the defense's ability to hold up against the sheer physical force of the conference's upper tier. A 4-8 finish would keep Northwestern home for the postseason, serving as a massive wake-up call that schematic brilliance cannot outrun a fundamental lack of Big Ten-caliber depth.
More Big Ten news
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos