Big Ten Football: 3 dark-horse candidates to win the conference in 2017
By Shane Lunnen
1. Northwestern Wildcats
Running back Justin Jackson returns for his senior year in Evanston and that’s great news for Wildcat fans. Last year he ran for over 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging just over five yards per carry. Quarterback Clayton Thorson also returns for one more season after throwing for over 3,100 yards and 22 touchdowns last year. Look for him to throw for even more yards in 2017 if the offensive line can keep him upright.
They have four starters back along the front five but they were not very good last season. They allowed 39 sacks and 95 tackles for loss. If they can give Thorson more time to throw, he could take advantage and shred opposing defenses. The run blocking is much better and Jackson could top his 2016 performance.
The defense is more of a bend not break style. They lost linebacker Anthony Walker early to the NFL draft, but the starting three linebackers should be alright as long as they stay healthy. Senior safety Godwin Igwebuike should lead an improved secondary. Last year, the Wildcats gave up 22.2 points, good for 24th in the country. It will also help the defense for the offense to improve. Keep racking up points and this defense can hold its own against most teams.
The Wildcats cannot start off on a bad note like last year, when they lost to Western Michigan and FCS foe Illinois State to start 0-2. They are good enough to beat Nevada, Duke and Bowling Green to start off undefeated before the conference schedule.
Of the three darkhorse contenders, Northwestern probably has the best chance to unseat Wisconsin in the West. The teams meet in Madison on Sept. 30 to open up conference play and both teams will be coming off a bye week.
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The Badgers won last year’s meeting, but the Wildcats won the previous two before that. Penn State visits Evanston the following week, but after that the schedule lightens somewhat. The big plus is that they avoid both Michigan and Ohio State. If the Wildcats don’t start 0-2 in conference and pull an upset against Wisconsin, they could be making their first trip to the Big Ten championship game.