Matchup:  California Golden Bears at Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Saturday, Aug. 30, 2:30 pm  CDT

TV: ESPN2 / ABC Regional

Line: Northwestern (-11)

Outlook:

The Lowes Line is back for another season of Northwestern football.  When we last left our beloved 'Cats nine months ago, they were clawing past a woeful Illini squad in the last game of the 2013 season, avoiding a winless conference slate by a thin margin.  Even with the lone conference win in Champaign, the 'Cats finished up 5-7 and were not in a bowl game for the first time since the 2007 season.

This season, the non-conference slate opens with this week's home game against Cal, followed by matchups in Evanston against Northern Illinois and Western Illinois, two teams that could be confused given they both carry directional Land of Lincoln modifiers, but two very different squads in terms of talent.  The final non-conference game is a November trip to South Bend.  Notre Dame and Northwestern have not met since the 1995 season opener, where Gary Barnett led NU to arguably the biggest win in program history, a 17-15 victory as a 28-point underdog.

The conference schedule has the 'Cats taking trips to State College, Iowa City, Minnesota, and Purdue, while Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan, and Illinois travel to Evanston.  With the addition of Maryland and Rutgers into the conference, the Big Ten Eleven Twelve Fourteen now consists of two divisions of seven teams each.  The short-lived days of the confusing Leaders and Legends divisions have been scrapped for the “East” and “West.”  What a concept!  The so-called balance of power is in the East division, as Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, and Penn State are there.  The newbies in Rutgers and Maryland are in the East as well, along with Indiana.  Northwestern is in the West with Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Purdue, Illinois, and Wisconsin.  In 2014, teams play each school in their division and two crossover games, which will be Penn State and Michigan.  The ‘Cats don’t get Maryland and Rutgers on the schedule until 2017 and 2018, respectively.

So what are we to make of the 2014 'Cats?  Certainly there were a number of would-be distractions coming into the season: the much discussed union vote from the spring, the suspension and subsequent sudden transfer of running back Venric Mark, the season ending injuries to WR Christian Jones and DE Sean McEvilly, both starters.

These are significant setbacks to be sure, especially in the case of Mark, arguably the most exciting playmaker Northwestern has had in years, and Jones, thought to be the best receiver on the team.  That said, the depth NU has at both positions should allow them to not only be competitive, but to win.

The biggest question mark entering the season is whether senior quarterback Trevor Siemian is capable of leading the offense as an every down signal caller.  After splitting time with Kain Colter and playing injured for a significant amount of 2013, Siemian will be the main man.  He'll be running the offense on more than simply obvious passing downs.  We know he has a solid arm, but  the concerns are whether he (a) has enough time to throw, and (b) is athletic enough to exploit the capabilities of the running backs in any option type of package.

Along the offensive line, there have been some changes.  Senior and four-year starter Brandon Vitabile remains at center, but senior Paul Jorgensen moved from left to right tackle as sophomore Eric Olson moved in on the right.  Juniors Geoff Mogus and Matt Frazier are the starting left and right guards, respectively.  How this unit comes together and provides Siemian with time to throw will be a key indicator of the success of the season.

As mentioned, the 'Cats appear to have some depth at running back, but the way the injury bug tends to bit, you can never have enough.  Senior Treyvon Green will be the primary option.  Green showed some brilliance in last year's opener at Cal with a 100 yard game and 2 TDs.  He'll be sharing time with sophomores Warren Long and Stephen Buckley, but look for true freshman Justin Jackson to see the field as well.

The options for NU throwing the ball are many, but again, some questions remain.  Is this finally the year we see Kyle Prater make a big impact?  Maybe humor us with one red zone fade pattern to take advantage of his  height and athleticism?  Miles Shuler, a speedy transfer from Rutgers, will be in the slot, and let's not forget Tony Jones, who led the team in catches last year.   Cameron Dickerson provides additional depth.  I'm looking for a big year from Dan Vitale, the superback/tight end who can be a real playmaker.  He'll be likely backed up at some point by true freshman  Garret Dickerson,  Cameron's brother.  Lots of options for Siemian, and it could make for an exciting season offensively.

On the other side of the ball, the 'Cats are strong in the back, but with some questions up front.  While McEvilly was lost for the year due to injury, and Tyler Scott graduated, Dean Lowry and Deonte Gibson are back at the ends.  A question mark is what we'll see out of Ifeadi Odenigbo, who only recorded 9 tackles last year as a redshirt freshman, but had 5.5 sacks.  It will be interesting to see if he gets on the field in more than simply passing situations.

The back seven looks to be a strong point for NU.  Seniors Chi Chi Ariguzo and Collin Ellis lead the way at linebacker.  Ariguzo is the type of guy who manages to be in the right place at the right time, and is always around the ball.  Most NU fans will recall the two interceptions Ellis had for TDs in last year's opener against Cal.  That was the headline on Ellis, but like Chi Chi, he's in on a lot of tackles.  Expect this unit to continue to be ball hawks.

In the secondary, it's as good as it's ever been.  Junior Nick VanHoose is back at corner, along with the athletic Matthew Harris.  The safeties are senior Ibraheim Campbell and sophomore Traveon Henry.  This unit has the ability to change games for the 'Cats.  They're very athletic, with plenty of experience even though two starting sophomores.  The ability to shut down opponents' passing game and make the big play resulting in a turnover will loom large.

So what do we expect from Cal?   Sonny Dykes had a rough first year in Berkeley, beating only Portland State on the way to a 1-11 record.  And the Bears were outscored by an average of 25 points in their 11 losses, only once being within one score.  That said, they played Ohio State, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, and USC, so they get a bit of a break there.  This year, Cal will be looking to throw all day.  Sophomore QB Jared Goff has a year under this belt in the Dykes "Bear Raid" offense, and threw for 3500 yards as a true freshman.  He's got speedy, athletic targets in Bryce Treggs and Chris Harper.  The question is whether they can stop anyone.  Cal's defense is beyond suspect, as is the quality of their offensive line.

Right out of the gate, Trevor Siemian will look to pick up where he left off in the last game of 2013 against Illinois where he threw for over 400 yards.  While the offense will have many opportunities to put up points, this game will be won by the defense.  NU beat Cal last year in Berkeley by two TDs, but that game was much closer than the score indicated.  As mentioned, the 'Cats got two second half INTs returned for TDs , as well as a late touchdown that sealed the game and made the result look more lopsided than it was.  Cal passed for over 450 yards on NU.  Shutting down the passing game of Goff will need to be done with pressure up front.

NU as a double-digit home favorite against a Pac-12 team?  Sounds like the minds in Vegas were out to lunch, right?   Maybe not.  I like Siemian to show that this team is his to lead, and to take it to Cal right away.  NU puts some points on the board in the first half, and the defense makes a couple big plays to shut down the Bears late.

Pick:  Enjoy a Bear Claw with your coffee on Saturday.   Take the 'Cats and lay the points.  Northwestern 38, Cal 24.

#GoCats