Northwestern Wildcats 2009 College Football Predictions, Picks & Odds: As Pat Fitzgerald grows as a head coach, he’s identifying teachings from a wide range of sources to implant the right messages for his Northwestern team. Fitzgerald often talks about Kaizen, the Japanese strategy for continuous improvement fostered following World War II. The Wildcats have improved their record in each of Fitzgerald’s first three seasons as head coach, and come off their most victories (nine) since Fitzgerald completed his playing days in 1996. Odds makers at Sportsbook.com have the Northwestern Wildcats at 200-1 odds to win the BSC 2010 National Championship.
Mike Kafka proved to be a capable quarterback who could make plays with his feet, but his passing and decision making was erratic. His experience last year cannot hurt, but he must turn into a leader of the offense and keep the mistakes to a minimum. It would also be beneficial if Kafka did not lead the team in rushing or feel the need to scramble as often as he did last season. Stephen Simmons, who ran for 178 yards on 62 carries as a sophomore last year is the most experienced running back, but redshirt freshman Alex Daniel and sophomore Jeravin Matthews could see some carries as well.
Depending on the health of end Corey Wootton, the Wildcats could have a dominating defense. Wootton, who injured his knee during the Alamo Bowl, tallied ten sacks during his junior campaign and will be in for a big senior season if he regains his form. And the front line will need him to be healthy. While the defense does return eight starters, two of the losses are on the line. Replacing John Gill and Kevin Mims will be difficult enough without Wootton at full strength. The other loss is linebacker Prince Kwateng, but Nate Williams and Quentin Davie should be able to pick up the slack in the middle of the defense. The secondary gave up 214 yards per game in the air, but what was once an inexperienced group is now a veteran secondary led by safety Brad Phillips. Sportsbook.com has college football picks on theNorthwestern Wildcats to win the Big 10 Conference at a +2000 odds.
The kicking game continues to cost Northwestern, most recently in the 2008 Alamo Bowl against Missouri. Fitzgerald needs more consistency from punter Stefan Demos, who improved at rugby-style punting last fall but made a crucial mistake in the bowl game.
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