Northwestern is no stranger to the deepest depths of losing. There is new worry in Evanston, however, after developments early in the summer threatened to harken a new dark age for Wildcat football. Storied head coach Pat Fitzgerald, formertly an unmatched hero in Wildcat lore after his starring role at LB for the surprising '95 team and seventeen often-noteworthy seasons as at the helm of the team, was forced out in July amid disturbing allegations of rampant hazing within the program. A total of 13 former players have filed lawsuits against the school. 

Forced into a corner, athletic director Derrick Gragg had almost no choice other than to promote recently-hired defensive coordinator David Braun, hired in January off of the highly successful North Dakota State staff. As the highest-ranked assistant with no prior connection to the Fitzgerald regime, Braun was effectively the only short-term option for the school. This fall will thus serve as an audition of sorts for Braun to remove the interim title -- assuming that Braun would even want this job on a permanent basis moving forward...

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of Northwestern's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the Big Ten season.

Big Ten preview: Conference winner | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Maryland | Michigan | Michigan State | Minnesota | Nebraska | Northwestern | Ohio State | Penn State | Purdue | Rutgers | Wisconsin

2023 Northwestern at a glance

• Last Year: 1-11 SU, 4-8 ATS, 5-7 O/U
  
• Returning Starters: Offense 3; Defense 4
• Win Total: 3 (Over -115, Under -115)
  

What do you need to know about Northwestern before locking in your Big Ten futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Big Ten futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!