Grade the Season

[BigNUFan51]

The Pitt win moves the season grade up from C to B IMO. It definitely legitimizes the team a bit more to have a victory over a ranked team.

In most years this would be a 9 win campaign as the ISU loss was a fluke, and it's rare that we are going to schedule the best group of five team in the country.

Although we had some great individual performances this year (IO, AC, JJ) there just wasn't enough depth in the secondary and experience on the OL to realistically compete for a Big Ten Championship. That being said I think next year could be the best Wildcat team we've seen in a long time with most key starters returning and Thorson continuing his improvement trajectory as an upper classman.

Give this team a lot of credit for beating Pitt. That was a senior laden team with a lot of talent/experience and the victory should give the young guys confidence going into next year.

 

[7th Cir. Cat]

For me, the bowl win moved the grade up from a C- to a B. Losing at home to Illinois State is just unacceptable. While one game doesn't define a season, the fact that we came out so flat in our first two games after a 10 win season is really disappointing. And Carr's performance was incredible, but Walker was being talked about as a potential top 20 draft pick and the best linebacker in the country. He didn't live up to the hype.

But a bowl win over a ranked team is something really special. I think about all the NU greats who never got to experience that feeling and it definitely boosts and otherwise disappointing season.

 

[Mr Wickerpark]

Flush the ooc deason and start with the bigten season. Definately an A+.
Helluva season for our wildcats winning a bowl game and having a winning record in the BIG.

Even most of our losses were to schools that were not only better but playing in big bowl games. Wmu, uw, osu simply outgunned us and nothing to be upset about.

Trying to maintain this level of play is always tough here but we bring back most of the key pieces so next year should be as fun as this year, if not even better.

Give Fitzgerald a pay raise.

 

[julescat]

They get a C minus up from a D for winning the Pinstripe Bowl. Can't erase that horrendous start.

Very encouraged for next season, however.

 

[DaCat]

A solid B.

No blow outs. Two losses that were due to stars aligning. Emphatic and satisfying finish to the season.

 

[Fitz51]

C+. It's still 7-6. Argument could be made for B-.

 

[SciCat]

Flush the ooc deason and start with the bigten season. Definately an A+.
Helluva season for our wildcats winning a bowl game and having a winning record in the BIG.

Even most of our losses were to schools that were not only better but playing in big bowl games. Wmu, uw, osu simply outgunned us and nothing to be upset about.

Trying to maintain this level of play is always tough here but we bring back most of the key pieces so next year should be as fun as this year, if not even better.

Give Fitzgerald a pay raise.

So who is the Mr Hyde to your Dr Jekyll?

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

B-, can't erase the OOC games, but encouraged by the fact they we improved throughout the season. Whisky will be favored in the West next year, especially if they get Malik Zaire as a grad transfer, but we finally have the depth at most positions to compete for the top spot.

 

[ubercat]

Are we grading on a curve?

 

[AtlantaCat]

A solid B.

No blow outs. Two losses that were due to stars aligning. Emphatic and satisfying finish to the season.

Stars aligning? And here I thought they were due to Thorson's failure to protect the ball and a craptastic performance for the ages.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Stars aligning? And here I thought they were due to Thorson's failure to protect the ball and a craptastic performance for the ages.

I thought you only showed up in the game time threads and after a loss. You got a grade?

 

[GECat2]

B

 

[Eurocat]

B

 

[Cat In The Cradle]

Pass/Fail: P

 

[Cat In The Cradle]

As long as we're grading this season, what is Fitz's cumulative GPA? (note: his seasons as a player or assistant coach are equivalent to high school AP courses and shouldn't show up on the transcript).

 

[Mr Wickerpark]

As long as we're grading this season, what is Fitz's cumulative GPA? (note: his seasons as a player or assistant coach are equivalent to high school AP courses and shouldn't show up on the transcript).

Fitz gets an A for keeping his staff together. Everyone wanted the head of the receivers coach but as it turned out we had alot of production from that unit. McCall proved once again that he can develop qbs, and our OL coach did acceptable with the talent recruited. Not sure why everyone is complaining. I thought we just won a bowl game?

 

[Hungry Jack]

As long as we're grading this season, what is Fitz's cumulative GPA? (note: his seasons as a player or assistant coach are equivalent to high school AP courses and shouldn't show up on the transcript).

His GPA is 1-3-5-4-3-3-5-1-2-6-5 (or whatever the hell it is according to Feli)

 

[Alan Smithee]

A B-*

No excuse for Illinois State performance. The asterisk reminds us that it would be a B for salvaging the season, but slips to a B- because we apparently did not defeat Pitt's "main team."

 

[pawildcat]

Back in the days when us dinosaurs were going to college, it would be a C+. But since it's now 2016 when as in Lake Wobegon, "all the kids are above average," I guess it's a B-.

 

[rmndcat]

B (-?), up from C at the end of the regular season. A competitive loss to Pitt, would have meant a C-, since they looked overmatched on paper.

 

[Fitz51]

How you give a 7-6 team a B is a bit baffling.

 

[mikewebb68]

B---for a Bowl win.

 

[Catreporter]

Right now, Northwestern is the bright spot for the BIG in the bowl season. For coming back from a disastrous start to a 5-4 BIG record and a GREAT BOWL WIn against a high profile opponent, the season deserves a solid B. Nobody but us diehards are going to remember the ISU debacle when it comes to looking back on this year.

 

[olshin]

September: F
October/November: B
December: A

Overall: B

 

[Deeringfish]

September: F
October/November: B
December: A

Overall: B

That's pretty good. We were actually two plays away from 9-4.
1) Clayton's fumble against WMU (there was another play or coaching call in that game that had similar effect, can't remember)
2) FG off the upright in ISU game.

 

[Katatonic]

The bowl win (while a lesser bowl, was against a ranked opponent) lifts the season from a C- to a B- (still hear about how this is only the 2nd bowl win in the modern era - sigh, probably need a couple more bowl wins before we hear the end of that).

The pre-bowl C- grade is not just for the OOC results, but the fact that the 'Cats finished 5th in the West and 8th overall in the B1G.

 

[EvanstonCat]

Right now, Northwestern is the bright spot for the BIG in the bowl season. For coming back from a disastrous start to a 5-4 BIG record and a GREAT BOWL WIn against a high profile opponent, the season deserves a solid B. Nobody but us diehards are going to remember the ISU debacle when it comes to looking back on this year.

C

September F
Losing to Ohio State F
Bowl Win A
7-6 on the year...

About averages to a C

I don't know what this talk is about a B. How is a B = 7-6? 9-3 is a B if you're a generous grader.

You're not leaving much room at the top of the curve. So when we win 10 wins, what is that? What if we actually win the B1G?

 

[Catslash]

B up from a C with the completion of extra credit assignment in NYC.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

C

September F
Losing to Ohio State F
Bowl Win A
7-6 on the year...

About averages to a C

I don't know what this talk is about a B. How is a B = 7-6? 9-3 is a B if you're a generous grader.

You're not leaving much room at the top of the curve. So when we win 10 wins, what is that? What if we actually win the B1G?

10 wins is an A for NU any year.

 

[Hungry Jack]

That's pretty good. We were actually two plays away from 9-4.
1) Clayton's fumble against WMU (there was another play or coaching call in that game that had similar effect, can't remember)
2) FG off the upright in ISU game.

Nooooooooo. You cannot apply this logic, lest you become Dave Wannestedt. That's not a safe place to go.

 

[wildelk2]

C + but bump our Cats up to a B - with extra credit. Listen, I've railed on McCall and Cushing but this team was ready on Wednesday. Extraordinary effort on both sides of the ball! As far as coming out flat in our first two games, it was more like our first four games. The Duke win was rough (I was there) and I was concerned how bad the Goofers put it to us, but wow, talk about saving your best for last.

 

[BigNUFan51]

C + but bump our Cats up to a B - with extra credit. Listen, I've railed on McCall and Cushing but this team was ready on Wednesday. Extraordinary effort on both sides of the ball! As far as coming out flat in our first two games, it was more like our first four games. The Duke win was rough (I was there) and I was concerned how bad the Goofers put it to us, but wow, talk about saving your best for last.

Matchups Matchups Matchups

This team really struggled with good defensive fronts. Minnesota and Wisconsin simply destroyed our Oline.

 

[FanatiCat]

C+

ISU loss drops us a full grade for the season at least. Not that an FCS loss itself is inexcusable, but a loss to an average FCS team who completely shut down our offense and dominated our lines is.

Rest of the games were OK, no big losses. We were underprepared for WMU and we definitely underachieved against Neb and Minny which were games we could've won.

We overall improved throughout the season and beat a ranked Pitt team. So far we're the only B1G team to win against a ranked bowl opponent.

 

[gocatsgo2003]

I'll go C+, with the + coming mostly because of the Pinstripe win.

I've long said my over/under for considering a season "successful" is 6.5 wins with a bowl win. A 6-6 regular season is "acceptable" enough to get a C, but feels empty to back into a bowl at .500 (though it's clearly better to win that bowl than lose it).

 

[FanatiCat]

I wouldn't say we backed into a bowl at 6-6. We went >.500 in B1G to get there. We didn't count an FCS win to get there (ironically the ISU loss makes the 6 wins we did get a little "better"). We weren't left out at the end of the B1G bid line fending for an at large bid.

We faced a ranked quality opponent in a B1G contracted bowl and won. Even by recent (post 1995) history, that by definition is an above average season. Hence the C+.

 

[ColumbusCatFan1]

Matchups Matchups Matchups

This team really struggled with good defensive fronts. Minnesota and Wisconsin simply destroyed our Oline.

Yet the OL performed well against Michigan State and Ohio State's highly skilled lines...

While an upgrade in talent/competitive depth would certainly be ideal, I think the more pressing issue is consistency and execution. When the OL played at it's best, they were quite effective.

 

[DaCat]

Game by game grades:

WMU, L 21-22. Grade: D
ISU, L 7-9. Grade: F
Duke, W 24-13. Grade: B
Neb, L 13-24. Grade: C
@ Ioa, W 38-31. Grade: A
@ MSU, W 54-40. Grade: A
Indy, W 24-14. Grade: A
@ dOSU, L 20-24. Grade: B
Wisky, L 7-21. Grade: C
@ Purdoo, W 45-17. Grade: A
@ MinnyGangBang, L 12-29. Grade: D
Illini, W 42-21. Grade: B
Pinstripe Bowl vs. Pitt, W 31-24. Grade: A

GPA: 2.7

 

[Deeringfish]

Nooooooooo. You cannot apply this logic, lest you become Dave Wannestedt. That's not a safe place to go.

Your right! a win is a win and a loss is a loss and you shouldn't make too much hay about a victory that comes down to one play because if you are really the better team you would have won on many plays.
but.
In reality we would feel much better as fans if we had won those two plays and were 9 and 4.9 and 4 after 10 and 4, that's huge. Seriously, we were pretty proud of the Wisconsin victory last year and it came down to a bunch of close calls. Calls that we got so we won and were happy.

 

[NU 71 72 74]

"C" No grade inflation here.

.02

and, Go Cats !!

 

[mpfeiler]

Team grade C with B talent (Record is 7-6)