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The Northwestern WIldcats have jumped out to a 2-0 start while many of the rest of the Big Ten have struggled mightily early on.
The Wildcats squeaked out a win against the Syracuse Orange to open the season and added on to that win with a 23-13 victory over Vanderbilt last Saturday. The 2-0 start looks great, but Rodger Sherman of SB Nation's Northwestern blog, Sippin' On Purple, is not all-in on the Wildcats just yet.
"First off, not to be a buzz-kill, but I'm not going nuts over this team yet. Sure, the team looks like it could start off with seven wins and the rest of the Big Ten looks shoddy at best, but I don't think this team is significantly better than I did when I made season previews."
Their two wins did come against Syracuse and Vanderbilt, teams that finished 5-7 and 6-7 in 2011, respectively. But the Big Ten is down this season, and two early season wins is nothing to scoff at. Sherman points to the turnover comparison as a main reason for the Wildcats early success, but questions how long success like that can be sustained.
"Five turnovers for NU's opponents in two games, only one for the Cats. Either that's a trend that continues...or we see a regression to the mean and Northwestern loses some close games."
Their next test comes this Saturday at home against the Boston College Eagles.
For more on the Northwestern Wildcats, be sure to visit Sippin' On Purple. And stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NCAA football hub for all your news and analysis.