Northwestern vs. Stanford GameThread

The start of a new season is upon us, and with it an opportunity for Northwestern to reset. After back-to-back 5-7 seasons, Northwestern enters 2015 with a new freshman quarterback, a star running back and a talented defense poised to make plays.

But in the Wildcats' first game, they face what could be their toughest opponent of the season: No. 21 Stanford. Now a program with legitimate national championship hopes year after year, the Cardinal are looking to rebound from a disappointing 8-5 season in 2014. On offense, Stanford features both experience, in senior signal-caller Kevin Hogan, and young talent in running back Christian McCaffrey. The defense will have to be retooled as David Shaw will replace nine starters on that side of the ball.

Northwestern will counter with QB Clayton Thorson, the personification of a change in the program's course. The redshirt freshman will join Justin Jackson to give Northwestern two four-star recruits in its backfield. Although wide receiver Cam Dickerson will miss the game, Christian Jones appears to be healthy after coming back from a torn ACL that caused him to miss all of 2014. Northwestern's defense features young, emerging stars in Anthony Walker and Godwin Igwebuike as well as established vets in Deonte Gibson and Dean Lowry.

Have questions, comments or concerns about what you see on the field today? Let's chat down below in the comments. Remember: be civil. There's no need for hostile personal attacks here. Also, we'll be compiling the best #WTFitz tweets throughout the game, so use that hashtag to vent about the game on social media.