Northwestern Wildcats
Big Ten··0-0
0 followers
Elo
1574
#55
SP+
5.8
#51
O90/D30
FPI
3.5
SRS
4.4
AP
NR
2026 Season Projection
model win prob · 11 to play4.4 – 6.6
projected final record (now 0–0)
Exp. wins left
4.4
of 11 games
Bowl odds
19%
reach 6 wins
Best odds
97%
vs Ball State
Toughest
1%
vs Indiana
💬Northwestern Board
Show discussion →Team Statistics · per game, with national FBS rank
Offense
Total yards / game
346.8#98
Yards / play
5.5#89
Passing yards / game
185.9#108
Rushing yards / game
160.9#64
First downs / game
19.7#81
3rd down %
42.9%#37
4th down %
58.6%#45
Time of possession
32:19#18
Defense
Yards allowed / game
329.8#30
Yards / play allowed
5.6#76
Pass yards allowed / game
193.5#30
Rush yards allowed / game
136.3#48
3rd down % allowed
41.8%#99
Sacks
23#85
Tackles for loss
52#122
Turnovers & Discipline
Turnover margin
-1#77
Takeaways
20#35
Giveaways
21#110
Penalties / game
4.2#11
Penalty yards / game
33.8#8
Rank is national among all FBS teams (#1 = best), oriented so higher rank = better even for defensive and discipline metrics. Bars show percentile.
Advanced analytics
Opponent-adjusted advanced stats aren't available for 2026 yet — they populate a few weeks into the season.
Schedule & Results
2026 Recruiting Class
Commits
15
Avg stars
3.07
Avg rating
0.8615
1 4★14 3★
| Recruit | Pos | Stars | Rtg | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaden McDuffie#329 nat'l | WR | ★★★★★ | 0.9027 | Edgewater, MD |
| Sean Morris II#907 nat'l | RB | ★★★★★ | 0.8733 | Orange, CA |
| Max Mohring#1158 nat'l | LB | ★★★★★ | 0.8678 | Malvern, PA |
| Gabe Davis-Ray#1158 nat'l | S | ★★★★★ | 0.8678 | Columbus, OH |
| Tre Hoskins#1274 nat'l | DL | ★★★★★ | 0.8656 | Hannibal, MO |
| Jaden Vaughn#1320 nat'l | CB | ★★★★★ | 0.8644 | Cypress, TX |
| Keaton Reinke#1320 nat'l | WR | ★★★★★ | 0.8644 | St. Charles, IL |
| Johnny O'Brien#1422 nat'l | QB | ★★★★★ | 0.8622 | Palatine, IL |
| Tom McGlinchey#1196 nat'l | ATH | ★★★★★ | 0.8619 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Owen Jakubczak#1465 nat'l | IOL | ★★★★★ | 0.8611 | Palatine, IL |
| Amare Jordan#1656 nat'l | LB | ★★★★★ | 0.8578 | Cedar Park, TX |
| Nick Costa#1722 nat'l | DL | ★★★★★ | 0.8556 | Richland, NJ |
| Calvin Lorek#1838 nat'l | DL | ★★★★★ | 0.8533 | Loveland, OH |
| Hayden Flavin#2281 nat'l | OT | ★★★★★ | 0.8444 | Clarkston, MI |
| Noah Sur#2850 nat'l | K | ★★★★★ | 0.8200 | Oak Park, IL |
Program History
recent seasons| Year | Overall | Conf | Win % | xW | Luck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7-6 | 4-5 | 54% | 5.9 | +1.1 |
| 2024 | 4-8 | 2-7 | 33% | 4.1 | -0.1 |
| 2023 | 8-5 | 5-4 | 62% | 4.9 | +3.1 |
| 2022 | 1-11 | 1-8 | 8% | 3.5 | -2.5 |
| 2021 | 3-9 | 1-8 | 25% | 3.4 | -0.4 |
| 2020 | 7-2 | 6-2 | 78% | 6.1 | +0.9 |
| 2019 | 3-9 | 1-8 | 25% | 4.7 | -1.7 |
| 2018 | 9-5 | 8-2 | 64% | 8.3 | +0.7 |
| 2017 | 10-3 | 7-2 | 77% | 8.5 | +1.5 |
| 2016 | 7-6 | 5-4 | 54% | 6.7 | +0.3 |
xW = expected wins from per-game dominance. Luck = actual − expected (positive = won close games).