Few pundits picked Northwestern to win the Big Ten West Division in 2018 and go to the league’s title game.

If anybody did, they probably jumped off of that pick when the Wildcats started 1-3 including a brutal nonconference loss at home against Akron.

But the Wildcats finished 8-1 in the B1G and won the division title by a whopping three games over Iowa, Wisconsin and Purdue.

So what does this have to do with Nebraska? Because NU laid out a blueprint that the Cornhuskers can and should follow to success for 2019 and beyond.

Here are 5 things Nebraska can learn from Northwestern:

Discipline

We have written ad nauseam about how much penalties hurt Nebraska this season. To their credit the Cornhuskers were much more disciplined in the second half of the season and that was one of the keys to their 4-2 surge over the final six games. But the Wildcats were the model to follow, with the fewest penalties and penalty yards in the country. They were never whistled more than six times in any game.

Fearlessness

Perhaps the most obvious difference between Nebraska’s resume and Northwestern’s in 2018 was their road records. The Cornhuskers were 0-5 away from Lincoln including a 34-31 overtime loss at the Wildcats on Oct. 13. Northwestern was the opposite — 5-0 away from Evanston. That shows the Wildcats could not be intimidated in a hostile atmosphere.

Consistency

Nebraska had a more productive offense than Northwestern in 2018, gaining 835 yards more despite playing one fewer game (NU’s stats include the B1G title tilt). But even when the Wildcats had an off day on offense they stayed in games. Their worst output was 202 yards against Michigan but NU still led most of that game. When the Cornhuskers were bad on offense, they got blown out.

Flexibility

All-time leading rusher Justin Jackson graduated after last season but Northwestern seemed set to replace him with Jeremy Larkin at running back. Then misfortune struck early in the season — Larkin, a sophomore, had to retire after being diagnosed with cervical stenosis. NU struggled mightily on the ground for a couple of weeks, but then true freshman Isaiah Bowser stepped up and gave the Wildcats balance again.

Identity

This is what coaches mean when they throw around words like “culture,” at least on the field. What does your program do well year in and year out? With Pat Fitzgerald at the helm, Northwestern always gives fits to teams with superior talent because of some of the characteristics listed above. Scott Frost certainly has an idea of what he wants his Cornhuskers to look like. He just needs more time to implement it. If Frost and his staff paid attention to how the Wildcats built a division winner in 2018 — and you can bet they did — then Big Red might pave a similar path to success.