5 things we learned in College Football Week 0

College football Week 0 offered a taste of what the 2022 college football season will look and here are five things we learned. 

The first week of college football is in the books. There weren’t a ton of exciting games during College Football Week 0 but there are always a few things to talk about and takeaway.

No ranked teams were in action but that doesn’t mean these games won’t matter down the road especially a game between two Big Ten West programs that produced one of the bigger surprises of College Football Week 0, even though Northwestern’s win shouldn’t have surprised anyone.

Pat Fitzgerald is a masterful coach

It can be easy to forget how good Pat Fitzgerald is at his job. At times, things can be ugly at Northwestern. Case in point, last season. The Wildcats finished 3-9 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten.

They even lost to Nebraska, another 3-9 team by 49 points. After losing some notable transfers including Brandon Joseph, arguably the best player on the team, it seemed fair to question Fitzgerald.

Facing a team that beat it by 49 points in the previous matchup, Northwestern was a double-digit underdog, yet ran all over Nebraska to win the game.

It wasn’t any fancy game plan. It was just good, old-fashioned football. Fitzgerald’s team took advantage of mistakes and forced two critical turnovers in the second half.

Northwestern is the anti-Nebraska and Fitzgerald is the anti-Scott Frost. Fitz wins games he shouldn’t, while Frost causes his program to lose games, it should win.