Unless you are a practitioner of the black arts or got your hands on Doc Brown's DeLorean, you didn't have Northwestern and Texas Tech still sporting zeros in their respective loss columns heading into the final weekend of September. And certainly not in the way they've done it Northwestern playing the best defense in college football, and Texas Tech playing smart, reasoned, fundamentally sound football on top its customarily explosive offense. Each has garnered a measure of respect thought unattainable a month ago; AP voters see Northwestern as the 17th best team in the country, while Vegas sees Texas Tech being within a touchdown of the third best team in the land.
But whose 3-0 start is more impressive? Let's break it down with a tale of the tape.
Primary side of the ball:
Northwestern: Northwestern has played - with perhaps an argument from Boston College - the best defense in college football thus far. The Wildcats are the only team to permit only one touchdown this season, and their 5.3 scoring average ranks first nationally. So does their third down defense, allowing conversions only 13.95 percent of the time. The 'Cats rank sixth in total defense and yards per play, and their first downs defense ranks 11th. But perhaps the best testament to coordinator Mike Hankwitz's unit is what happened 3,000 miles away from them. Hours after Northwestern posted a 19-10 win at Duke, Stanford - 16-6 losers in Evanston two weeks prior - dropped 41 points and 474 yards on Pac-12 favorite USC.
Texas Tech: In a state boasting the leading preseason Heisman favorite (TCU's Trevone Boykin) and two former No. 1 recruits (Texas A&M's Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray), Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been the best Lone Star Slinger so far. The true sophomore has connected on 77-of-116 throws for 1,029 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions, all good for 25th or better nationally. But every Texas Tech quarterback since the game's invention has slung the ball all over the South Plains. Big 12-leading rusher DeAndre Washington (287 yards) paired with Mahomes's ability to run the ball (129 yards, four touchdowns) has keyed an attack that ranks seventh in yards per carry (6.52) and 12th in touchdowns (10). As a result, Texas Tech is third on third downs (56.76%), plays of 10-plus yards (64) and scoring (54.3 points per game), and fourth in yards per play (8.12). And they've done it without using a hurry-up attack to inflate their numbers; the Red Raiders have run 218 plays through three games, 51st nationally, which means nearly one in three snaps gains at least 10 yards.
Advantage: Honestly, this one's a push.
Rest of the team:
Northwestern: Northwestern has complimented its defense well with an effective, clock-killing running game. The Wildcats racked up 41 points and nearly 500 yards in their shutout of Eastern Illinois, which makes their 98th-ranked total offense and 124th-ranked yards per play average a tad concerning. But the fact that Northwestern can rank 12th in rushing, grinding out 225 yards on 54 attempts against Stanford and 201 yards on another 54-carry effort at Duke, lends credence to the belief this radical run-the-ball-and-play-defense scheme hold up for another nine weeks. The Wildcats also notched a kickoff return for a touchdown in their win at Duke.
Texas Tech: Offense isn't the reason Texas Tech enters this season with losses in 12 of its last 14 Big 12 games, its the Red Raiders' inability to play defense, force turnovers and keep flags in officials' pockets. And on the surface, Texas Tech following up a season in which it ranked 106th in yards per play allowed with a No. 105 ranking a bit concerning - until you dig a little bit deeper. The Red Raiders outscored UTEP and Arkansas by a combined 45-6 in the second half. Coordinator David Gibbs' bunch leads the Big 12 in takeaways and rank eighth nationally in turnover margin, a year after placing 119th nationally. Finally, after finishing dead last in FBS in penalties in 2014, Texas Tech ranks a handshake-and-salute worthy 35th to date.
Advantage: Texas Tech
Resume:
Northwestern: vs. Stanford (W, 16-6), vs. Eastern Illinois (W, 41-0), at Duke (W, 19-10)
Texas Tech: vs. Sam Houston State (W, 59-45), vs. UTEP (W, 69-20), at Arkansas (W, 35-24)
Let's stack all six victories together in order from most impressive to least:
1. vs. Stanford
2. at Arkansas
3. at Duke
4. vs. Sam Houston State
5. vs. Eastern Illinois
6. vs. UTEP
Considering Arkansas lost to Toledo a week before Texas Tech arrived in Fayetteville while Stanford (as mentioned above) went out and won at USC, it's hard to see this as anything but a win for Northwestern.
So, there we have it. One win for each side and one push. Let's break this tie with a special category.
Head Coach's Style:
vs.
Before you chalk this up as an automatic Texas Tech win, ask yourself this: whose fashion choices are Kliff Kingsbury and Pat Fitzgerald's peers more likely to mimic?
Advantage: Northwestern
Summary:
Obviously, both teams have plenty reason to be excited so far, an impassioned wish to bottle up the last three games and carry it with them over the next nine. Texas Tech will have ample opportunities to prove its mettle, starting Saturday against TCU in Lubbock and then next week versus Baylor at AT&T Stadium. The difficulty levels off (Iowa State, at Kansas) before ramping up again with back-to-back games against Oklahoma (in Norman) and Oklahoma State.
Northwestern's schedule is more of a slow burn, to say the least. The Wildcats host Ball State and Minnesota the next two weeks, and welcome Iowa, Penn State and Purdue to Ryan Field over the rest of the fall. Road trips to Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin will prove challenging, but there is definite potential here to see the Northwestern climb into Big Ten West contention.
All this to say, Northwestern has a better chance of showing it in its final record, but both teams have demonstrated marked improvement thus far. Here's hoping it holds up.