Northwestern Wildcats Football Ratings & Analytics
3-1 overall · Composite #12 · Net Rating #7
Northwestern at a Glance
Northwestern is 3-1 overall through Week 6 of the 2026 season and ranks No. 7 of 138 teams in PRIME's opponent-adjusted ratings and No. 12 in The PRIME 25. Within the Big Ten, that is 1st of 18 rated teams.
The offense (No. 8) and defense (No. 20) grade out at a similar level. Special teams rank No. 27 nationally. Its strength of record ranks No. 33 and its strength of schedule No. 27, one of the tougher schedules played so far. Its résumé ranks behind its overall rating. Northwestern's most recent game was a win over Penn State (34–13). Next up: a home game against Ball State on Sat, Oct 10.
Results & upcoming matchups
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result / Time | Current Opp Net | Matchup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Sep 5 |  vs South Dakota StateFCS | W 34-18 | FCS | View Matchup → |
| Wk 3 | Sep 19 |  vs Colorado | W 41-7 | +4.3 · #55 | View Matchup → |
| Wk 4 | Sep 25 |  @ Indiana | L 23-29 | +20.4 · #9 | View Matchup → |
| Wk 5 | Oct 2 |  vs Penn State | W 34-13 | +6.9 · #46 | View Matchup → |
| Wk 6 | Oct 10 |  vs Ball State | 12:30 PM ET | -18.8 · #130 | View Matchup → |
| Wk 7 | Oct 17 |  @ Michigan State | Time TBA | +7.8 · #38 | View Matchup → |
| Wk 8 | Oct 24 |  vs Rutgers | Time TBA | -10.9 · #112 | View Matchup → |
| Wk 9 | Oct 31 |  @ Oregon | Time TBA | +6.6 · #49 | View Matchup → |
| Wk 10 | Nov 7 |  vs Iowa | Time TBA | +8.8 · #32 | View Matchup → |
| Wk 11 | Nov 14 |  @ Ohio State | Time TBA | +21.7 · #8 | View Matchup → |
| Wk 12 | Nov 21 |  @ Minnesota | Time TBA | +2.4 · #58 | View Matchup → |
| Wk 13 | Nov 28 |  vs Illinois | Time TBA | +1.5 · #62 | View Matchup → |
Schedule opponent ratings are current by design and update with each published ratings refresh. Game-specific matchup pages still use the appropriate pregame snapshot for historical comparisons.
Season Ratings
| Year | Conf | W-L | Rk | Net | Off | Def | ST | SOR | SOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | B1G | 3-1 | 7 | +21.8 | +13.72#8 | +6.76#20 | +1.28#27 | +1.05#33 | +0.5#27 |