2026 Season · Week 6
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NU · Wildcats

Northwestern

B1G · 4-1
National Rank
#45
Power
+6.7
Offense
0.49
Defense
-0.15
SOS
-6.9
SOS Rank
#85
Team Profile

Why #45?

Northwestern ranks #45 through Week 6 with a Power rating of +6.7, meaning the model expects Northwestern to outscore an average FBS opponent by about 6.7 points on a neutral field.

Northwestern has faced the #85 strength of schedule in FBS through Week 6. The average opponent faced, after accounting for game location, rated -6.9 points relative to an average FBS team.

The strongest statistical performance through Week 6 came against Ball State, with a Game Performance score of +0.58.

The weakest performance came against Indiana, where the Game Performance score was -0.14.

Offense0.49
Offense0.49

Stronger Side

Offense

The offensive rating (0.49) is currently higher than the defensive rating (-0.15).

Schedule

Game Results

DateOpponentSiteResultScoreGame PerfOffenseDefense
Sat, Sep 5South Dakota StateHomeW34-18+0.55+0.90+0.19
Sat, Sep 19ColoradoHomeW41-7+0.56+0.60+0.52
Fri, Sep 25IndianaAwayL23-29-0.14+0.26-0.54
Fri, Oct 2Penn StateHomeW34-13+0.48+0.69+0.27
Sat, Oct 10Ball StateHomeW45-14+0.58+0.87+0.28
Sat, Oct 17Michigan StateAway9:00 AM————
Fri, Oct 23RutgersHome9:00 PM————
Fri, Oct 30OregonAway9:00 PM————
Fri, Nov 6IowaHome10:00 PM————
Fri, Nov 13Ohio StateAway10:00 PM————
Fri, Nov 20MinnesotaAway10:00 PM————
Fri, Nov 27IllinoisHome10:00 PM————