A weak non-conference schedule should allow for four wins right off the bat. Winning three in conference—say, at Minnesota, and home games against Iowa and Northwestern—would guarantee a spot.
10. Northwestern
As hard as it is to blame third-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern football isn’t delivering under his tenure. The Wildcats skipped out on a bowl for the second straight year in 2007, but talent on offense and a very soft schedule make a return possible.
That doesn’t mean they’ll perform well in conference. CJ Bacher leads the offense, and what should be a highlight-rich senior season closes out an outstanding Wildcat career for Tyrell Sutton.
However, the offense won’t be able to score as many points on a consistent basis as the Wildcats should give up on defense.
Without much strength or athleticism, it’s hard to compete defensively in a league as physical and tough as the Big Ten. Running the table non-conference is doable, but if the Cats want to make it to a bowl game, they’ll have to win at least one conference game on the road.
11. Minnesota
Expectations were not supposed to be high in the Twin Cities, but nobody thought 2007 would be this bad for Tim Brewster’s Golden Gophers.
One win. That’s all the Gophers could manage in Brewster’s debut season, and it came against the Miami RedHawks.
That means they also lost 32-31 to Bowling Green, 42-39 to Florida Atlantic, and they even did the Wolverines one better by losing 27-21 to Division I-AA North Dakota State (a team they escaped losing to thanks to a blocked field goal the year before). The Gophers also went 0-8 in Big Ten play.
While their record should improve, their placement, ultimately, will not. There isn’t a lot of talent on either side of the ball, but the youthful offense may show some signs of potential in the future.
Brewster, however, isn’t as focused on this year as he is down the road. The 2009 season brings a new stadium, and maybe new results in Minneapolis.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Ohio State Football articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
10 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete