Both the Stanford Cardinal and Northwestern Wildcats are changing, recharging after losing significant talent, and in this battle of soul searchers, Stanford has the edge.
The Wildcats lost four-year quarterback Clayton Thorson to the Philadelphia Eagles after contending for the Big Ten title last season, which has taken a massive bite out of the Northwestern offense. They averaged 239.4 passing yards per game with Thorson at the helm, carrying a running game that only offered 114.9 yards and 3.1 yards per attempt. Now, the Wildcats have yet to find a quarterback, putting A.J. Green and Hunter Johnson as QB1 the week of the game.