It looks like the underdog role will continue for the Wildcats in 2019.

Led by head coach Pat Fitzgerald and quarterback Clayton Thorson, Northwestern truly had a remarkable run last season. The team reeled off seven consecutive B1G wins to capture the B1G West division while pulling off a number of upsets all season long. Though the team fell short in the B1G Championship Game, Fitzgerald’s squad was able to bounce back with a third straight bowl victory to end the season.

Entering 2019, the Wildcats now face the task of proving last season was no fluke. The team has reached nine wins in three of the past four seasons, but holding off the rest of the B1G West division could prove to be a tough task. Still, if we’ve learned anything it’s that you should never count out Fitzgerald and the Wildcats.

Here’s how ESPN’s FPI is predicting every game for Northwestern this fall:

  • August 31: at Stanford: 25.4% win probability
  • September 14: UNLV: 89.6% win probability
  • September 21: Michigan State: 26.8% win probability
  • September 28: at Wisconsin: 32.2% win probability
  • October 5: at Nebraska: 27.3% win probability
  • October 18: Ohio State: 27.0% win probability
  • October 26: Iowa: 36.6% win probability
  • November 2: at Indiana: 37.6% win probability
  • November 9: Purdue: 65.7% win probability
  • November 16: UMass: 95.3% win probability
  • November 23: Minnesota: 41.1% win probability
  • November 30: at Illinois: 63.1% win probability

Other ESPN FPI predictions: Illinois – Indiana – Iowa – Maryland – Michigan – Michigan State – Minnesota — Nebraska – Ohio State – Penn State – Purdue – Rutgers – Wisconsin