Five Things for Northwestern Football Fans To Watch for in Week One

Correspondent Written on September 03, 2009

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EVANSTON, IL - SEPTEMBER 8: The Northwestern Wildcats run onto the field before the game against the Nevada Wolf Pack on September 8, 2007 at Ryan Field at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The five things that Northwestern Wildcats football fans should be looking out for in week one of the 2009 season, both in Evanston and around the conference.

While there aren't any huge games on the slate for Big Ten teams in week one, there are an number of intriguing storylines that should keep fans in the midwest glued to the TV when they aren't watching their favorite team take the field.

Northwestern fans have quite a few things to watch as they prepare for what should be an exciting football season.were the pavement mellows her old to their goal weight my phone is really weird

1. Northwestern vs. Towson - NU Running Backs

ANN ARBOR, MI - OCTOBER 28: Terell Sutton #19 of the Northwestern Wildcats gets taken down by Alan Branch #80 and David Harris #45 of the Michigan Wolverines on October 28, 2006 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan defeated Northwestern 1

Which Northwestern running back (if any) will rise from the pack to replace Tyrell Sutton? It all starts against Towson, with Stephan Simmons listed as the starter and true freshman Arby Fields his backup.

Coach Fitzgerald is expected to play many more as well (Scott Concannon, Jeravin Matthews, and Jacob Schmidt), and expect a lot of carries between that group if Fitz sticks to a vanilla run-focused offense against lower tier competition.

2. Syracuse vs. Minnesota - Two Future Opponents

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 24: Jason Gianini #31 of Minnesota is congratulated by Bryan Cupito #3 after kicking a field goal against Purdue during the first quarter on September 24, 2005 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (P

NU fans should be watching this matchup closely as the 'Cats will face both Syracuse and Minnesota in back-to-back weeks later in September.

Minnesota will be trying to rebound from its current five-game losing streak, while Syracuse is looking to get its new head coach Doug Marrone's tenure off to a good start.

Oh, and there's that Duke basketball player who transferred to play QB for the Orange, too.

3. Iowa vs. Northern Iowa - Iowa's Offense

IOWA CITY, IOWA - NOVEMBER 8: Runningback Paki O'Meara #25 of the Iowa Hawkeyes is tackled by defender Drew Astorino #28 of the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first quarter of play at Kinnick Stadium on November 8, 2008 in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa defeated

Iowa's defense will be more than fine, but can their offense recover from the loss of RB Shonn Greene to graduation AND his expected replacement Jewel Hampton to a season-ending injury?

Paki O'Meara (pictured) will try to fill the void, but the question is can the Hawkeyes make something out of nothing at the RB position for a second straight season? The answer will have big implications on the Big Ten race in 2009.

4. Michigan vs. Western Michigan - Practice-Gate Fallout

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 22: Head coach Rich Rodriguez of the Michigan Wolverines watches the action during the Big Ten Conference game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on November 22, 2008 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Imag

The nation will have it's eyes on Michigan's opener as the Wolverines attempt to rebound not only from its worst season ever in 2008 (a 3-9 record), but also from "practice-gate" as revealed last weekend.

Second year head coach Rich Rodriguez is under a lot of heat from both outside and within the program, especially now with accusations about potential NCAA violations flying.

The results of this situation may have a lasting effect not only in Ann Arbor, but fora well aware that older than you are in a no go with what I know that when a fake tickets at a cost of you in any way the rest of the Big Ten.

5. The Rest of the Big Ten

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 13: Terrelle Pryor #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes hands the ball off against the USC Trojans during the college football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 13, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Har

While there aren't any high profile games on the Big Ten slate in week one, fans will get a good idea of how teams are faring when they face off against lower tier teams. Will there be any upsets or scares? And can the league begin to repair its image by sweeping week one without difficulty?

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written on September 03, 2009 Rankings/List

Bleacher Report has a featured columnist opening for Northwestern Football.

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