College Football: 5 Power Five teams that will miss a bowl in 2017

In the home opener against Nevada, Northwestern looked like they might be a surprise team in the Big Ten West this year. The Wildcats got 352 passing yards from Clayton Thorsen, Justin Jackson ran for over 100 yards, and the offense looked like it might be a force this year. Pat Fitzgerald‘s team secured a confidence-building 31-20 win over the Wolf Pack.

But a trip to Duke brought Northwestern back to reality, as the Blue Devils dropped their visitors 41-17 in Week 2. The Wildcats could not figure out their ACC counterparts at all. Thorsen went just 11-of-29 for 120 yards and two interceptions. Jackson rushed for a touchdown, but had just 18 yards on seven carries. Duke quarterback Daniel Jones really had their number, throwing for 305 yards and rushing for 108 with four total touchdowns.

Now the Wildcats need to hope that a home game against Bowling Green can snap them out of their funk. It will, however, likely all be an illusion. Northwestern will enter Big Ten play 2-1, but they will have a hard time finding four more wins among a tough conference slate. The Wildcats do not get to play Rutgers this year, and both Maryland and Michigan State are much improved from last year.

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After a string of five straight bowl games under Fitzgerald’s watch between 2008 and 2012, this will probably be the third time in the past five years that Northwestern misses out on the postseason. A full-blown collapse isn’t likely, but the Wildcats will find it hard to snag more than four or five wins in a tough 2017 schedule.