Cooper’s take, October 3, 2026

North Western looks convincing

Northwestern looks great in their win against Penn State!

Illustration: CollegeFootballDigest
The gameNorthwestern 34, Penn State 13Oct 2, 2026, final

Northwestern 34, Penn State 13

For it to be Northwestern’s first showing in their new home, Ryan Field, it was a good one. Honestly, I’m pretty convinced by them recently, with great showings against their other opponents and Penn last night, while also just barely being edged out by the previous National Champion Indiana; this team’s looking like a dark horse to me.

Penn State came in as a 3-point favorite and ran for just 48 yards all night….Rocco Becht, threw two second-half interceptions that ended any comeback hopes. It’s Northwestern’s second straight win in the series, after last year’s 22–⁠21.

The game

Game page
TeamQ1Q2Q3Q4Final
Penn State070613
Northwestern10147334
  • Penn StateRocco Becht26 of 41, 243 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; 7 carries, 10 yards
  • NorthwesternCaleb Komolafe25 carries, 188 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch, 14 yards
Northwestern favored above the line, Penn State belowWin probability, play by play

In this take:NorthwesternPenn StateIndiana