Northwestern Wildcats
Ratings & Unit Splits
Starting QB:
| Unit / Component | Detail | Rating | FBS Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Power | Offense + Defense + Special Teams | +6.2 | #47 |
| Offense | Passing + Rushing + Finishing | +4.3 | #41 |
| Passing Offense | Nicco Marchiol (+0.0 VOR) | +1.7 | #46 |
| Rushing Offense | Line yards & rushing EPA | +2.2 | #23 |
| Drive Finishing | Points per red-zone trip | +0.4 | #58 |
| Defense | Pass Def + Rush Def + Havoc | +4.4 | #40 |
| Pass Defense | Points prevented vs pass | +3.6 | #20 |
| Rush Defense | Points prevented vs rush | −0.1 | #72 |
| Defensive Havoc | Sacks, TFL & turnovers | +0.9 | #34 |
| Special Teams | Net kicking & return efficiency | −2.5 | #138 |
| Preseason Prior | Talent, returning PPA, portal & coach | +6.8 | #42 |
| In-Season Lift | Performance vs preseason expectation | +1.6 | #47 |
| Strength of Schedule | Full-season opponent difficulty | +5.8 | #30 |
2026 Schedule
| Wk | Opponent | Result / Spread | Score | Win Prob |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vs#8South Dakota State | W (+16) | 34‑18 | Final |
| 3 | vsColorado | W (+34) | 41‑7 | Final |
| 4 | L (−6) | 23‑29 | Final | |
| 5 | W (+21) | 34‑13 | Final | |
| 6 | W (+31) | 45‑14 | Final | |
| 7 | W (+3) | 24‑21 | Final | |
| 8 | vsRutgers | W (+28) | 42‑14 | Final |
| 9 | L (−8) | 26‑34 | Final | |
| 10 | L (−14) | 10‑24 | Final | |
| 11 | OSU -21.8 | 16.2‑38.1 | 9.1% | |
| 12 | MINN -2.4 | 23.5‑25.9 | 43.8% | |
| 13 | vsIllinois | ILL -1.0 | 28.1‑29.1 | 47.3% |
Snapshot History (2025–2026)
| Snapshot | Rank | Record | Power | Off | Def | Prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Preseason | #66 | 0‑0 | +1.0 | −0.6 | +1.6 | +1.0 |
| 2025 Postseason | #66 | 6‑6 | +0.8 | −1.5 | +2.7 | +1.0 |
| 2026 Preseason | #42 | 0‑0 | +6.8 | +2.9 | +4.0 | +6.8 |
| 2026 Week 11 | #47 | 6‑3 | +6.2 | +4.3 | +4.4 | +6.8 |