2009 College Football Odds: The Northwestern Wildcats surprised last season, finishing the year with a 9-4 record and taking fifth place in the Big 10 conference with a 5-3 league mark. Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald returns for his fourth season as the Wildcats coach and he brings back 13 starters from last year's bowl team. Despite the program's continued progression under Fitzgerald, oddsmakers see Northwestern as being a shade below the conference big boys. The Purple and White are currently listed at +2500 on the moneyline to win the Big 10 in BetUS.com's Northwestern Wildcats 2009 College Football Odds. 
Last season Northwestern's offense produced 358 yards and 24.4 points per game. Quarterback C.J. Bacher threw for 2432 yards and rushed for 230 while accounting for 20 total touchdowns. However, Bacher, along with leading rusher Tyrell Sutton and leading receiver Eric Peterman, will not be back this year. But the Wildcats do return four starting offensive linemen from a unit that helped produce an average of over 140 yards rushing per game and allowed just 22 sacks.
Senior Mike Kafka will take over at quarterback for Fitzgerald this year. Kafka had a couple of starts a season ago when Bacher was sidelined with an injury, throwing for 330 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. He was also second on the team in rushing yardage in 2008, gaining 321 yards on the ground with a 4.7 yards per carry average.
Defensively Northwestern returns eight starters from last year's squad. The Wildcats were an imposing group at times, limiting conference opposition to an average of 23.3 points per game. On the year they held teams to 341 yards and 20.2 points per contest. Only Michigan State, Ohio State, and Missouri were able to score 30 or more points on the stout unit.
The defense should again be solid, but they do lose top tackler Brad Phillips as well as a number of other key contributors. If star defensive end Corey Woolton (10 sacks in 2008) can return from an ACL tear he suffered late in the season, it will be a tremendous boon for Fitzgerald.
Northwestern could make their way into the thick of things again if the offense can find a rhythm early on. Their non-conference schedule is not that daunting with tilts against Towson, Eastern Michigan, Syracuse, and Miami, OH. The Wildcats also avoid the Buckeyes and get Penn State at home. They do have difficult battles at Michigan State, Iowa, and Illinois, though.
BetUS.com Northwestern Wildcats 2009 College Football Odds — BCS Odds 2010
Northwestern Wildcats Odds to Win the Big 10 Championship:
Ohio State +150
Penn State +250
Iowa +550
Michigan State +550
Illinois +650
Wisconsin +900
Michigan +1000
Minnesota +2500
Northwestern +2500
Indiana +6300
Purdue +8000
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