2026 Northwestern
5–1 (2–1 Big Ten), coached by David Braun. The season’s Wikipedia article records 4–1, over five games to the six on file here. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Colorado 41–7Sep 19
By 34 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Michigan State 24–21Oct 17
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | vs South Dakota State | W 34–18 | 71% |
| Sep 19 | vs Colorado | W 41–7 | 66% |
| Sep 25 | at 5Indiana | L 23–29 | 17% |
| Oct 2 | vs Penn State | W 34–13 | 44% |
| Oct 10 | vs Ball State | W 45–14 | 85% |
| Oct 17 | at Michigan State | W 24–21 | 65% |
| Oct 24 | vs Rutgers | Preview | 77% |
| Oct 31 | at Oregon | Preview | 29% |
| Nov 7 | vs Iowa | Preview | 48% |
| Nov 14 | at Ohio State | Preview | 19% |
| Nov 21 | at Minnesota | Preview | 53% |
| Nov 28 | vs Illinois | Preview | 67% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 7: 25
- Record
- 5–1
- Conference
- 2–1 tied for 5th in Big Ten
- AP now
- No. 25 in the week 7 poll; peak No. 25
- Points
- 201–102
- Coach
- David Braun
- Elo
- 1602 +87 this season
- SP+ rating
- 15.6 No. 17 of 138; offense No. 18, defense No. 27, special teams No. 29
- SRS
- 16.6 No. 15 of 138 in FBS
- Returning
- 89% of last season’s EPA, No. 8 of 136
- Recruiting class
- No. 52 roster talent No. 60 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Chip Kelly
- Defensive coordinator
- Tim McGarigle
- Offense
- Multiple spread
- Defense
- Multiple 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.28 | 48% | 1.32 | 14th of 138 |
| Defense | 0.05 | 44% | 1.12 | 48th of 138 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.21 off 0.08 def | 49% off 45% def | — | 10th off 57th def |
Passing and running
| Pass success | Depth of target | Deep throws | Line yards | Stuffed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 58% | 9.3 yds | 12% | 3.00 | 18% |
| Defense | 43% | 9.1 yds | 12% | 3.10 | 19% |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played. Passing and running: depth of target is how far downfield passes traveled in the air; deep throws are the share thrown deep, of the passes whose depth and direction the play-by-play describes (about half); line yards are the running yards per carry credited to the blockers; stuffed is the share of carries stopped at or behind the line. The defense’s line is what its opponents did. From CollegeFootballData.com, 2025 on.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 4.6 | own 28 | 16% allowed |
| Defense | 2.9 | own 28 | 16% caused |
CORE rating 15.2, 17th of 138 (offense 14.1, defense -1.1).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Aidan Chiles QB | 1,398 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Aidan Chiles QB | 9 TD |
| Rushing yards | Caleb Komolafe RB | 401 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Aidan Chiles QB | 7 TD |
| Receiving yards | Griffin Wilde WR | 482 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Griffin Wilde WR | 3 TD |
| Tackles | Braydon Brus LB | 52 tkl |
| Sacks | Braydon Brus LB | 3 sacks |
| Interceptions | Robert Fitzgerald DB | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2026 class
| Jaden McDuffie WR | ★★★★ | No. 230 |
| Owen Fors OL | ★★★★ | No. 437 |
| Jack Fuchs OT | ★★★ | No. 554 |
| Leighton Burbach OT | ★★★ | No. 804 |
| Tom McGlinchey ATH | ★★★ | No. 833 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2026 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.862 |
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.873 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.5 | 0.891 |
| Offensive line | 6 | 3.2 | 0.872 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.863 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.863 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 3.0 | 0.864 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 3.0 | 0.848 |
| Whole class | 22 | 3.1 | 0.867 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 124
The 2026 roster124 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2026 line; 57 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 17
The 2026 portal| Aidan Chiles QB | ★★★★ | from  Michigan State |
 Kobie McKinzie LB | ★★★★ | from  Oklahoma |
| Luke Dehnicke TE | ★★★ | from Minnesota Duluth |
 Brenden Deasfernandes CB | ★★★ | from  Central Michigan |
 Alex Honig TE | ★★★ | from  UConn |
 Arkel Anugwom OT | ★★★ | from  Alabama |
| Dominic Kirks DE | ★★★ | from  Ohio State |
 Gavin Sawchuk RB | ★★★ | from  Florida State |
 Grant Seagren OT | ★★★ | from  Oklahoma State |
 Nicco Marchiol QB | ★★★ | from  West Virginia |
 Glory Stephen-Wangboje DL | ★★★ | from  Sacred Heart |
 Mar’Kel Porter RB | ★★★ | from  Bowling Green |
And 5 more, lower-rated or unrated.
Transfers out 8
 Anto Saka DE | ★★★★ | to  Texas A&M |
| Hunter Welcing TE | ★★★★ | to Ohio State |
| Evan Smith CB | ★★★ | to  Duke |
| Jack Olsen K | ★★★ | to  Miami |
| Dashun Reeder RB | ★★★ | to UConn |
| Dillon Tatum S | ★★★★ | to  Miami (OH) |
| Hayden Wright OT | ★★★ | to  Houston |
| Nick Herzog OT | ★★★ | no new school on file |
2026 Big Ten standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 UCLA | 4–0 | 6–0 | |
| Ohio State | 4–0 | 6–1 | |
 USC | 3–1 | 6–1 | |
| Indiana | 3–1 | 6–1 | |
| Iowa | 2–1 | 5–1 | |
| Northwestern | 2–1 | 5–1 | |
| Oregon | 2–1 | 4–2 | |
| Minnesota | 2–1 | 4–2 | |
 Wisconsin | 2–1 | 4–2 | |
 Nebraska | 2–2 | 5–2 | |
 Purdue | 2–2 | 3–4 | |
 Michigan | 1–2 | 4–2 | |
| Illinois | 1–2 | 3–3 | |
| Rutgers | 1–2 | 2–4 | |
 Washington | 1–3 | 4–3 | |
| Penn State | 0–4 | 3–4 | |
| Michigan State | 0–4 | 2–5 | |
 Maryland | 0–4 | 2–5 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.