2026 Northwestern Football Preview
Jake Wimberly
Abby Boyd Contributing-
What’s to like:
Northwestern made an important addition at quarterback by bringing in Aidan Chiles. He gives the Wildcats more experience and playmaking ability at the position, and his arrival should help an offense that has struggled with consistency over the past few seasons. Quarterback play has often determined Northwestern's ceiling, making this one of the program's biggest offseason moves.
The Wildcats also have talent around him. The running back room and receiving corps provide the offense with more options than it has had in recent years, giving Northwestern an opportunity to become more balanced. Defensively, the Wildcats continue to play with effort and discipline. Regardless of the opponent, Northwestern's defense is rarely questioned for its competitiveness, and that mindset has helped the program stay in games against more talented teams.
What’s not to like:
Generating a consistent pass rush remains one of Northwestern's biggest concerns. The Wildcats have struggled to pressure opposing quarterbacks without bringing extra defenders, allowing offenses too much time to throw. Creating more disruption at the line of scrimmage would make life much easier for the secondary.
Depth is another issue. Northwestern doesn't have the same roster depth as many teams in the conference, and injuries could quickly become a problem over the course of a long season. Developing younger players and building more depth throughout the roster will be important if the Wildcats want to continue making progress.
What does the Hourglass say?
Northwestern- Big Ten (3-9)
Power ranking 26.6.
2026 Northwestern Analytics
National recruiting rating (three year metric): #62- outside the boundary of a National Championship Roster.
National Coaching Ranking:
David Braun- 61st in Power 5 and 17th in the Big Ten.
2026 coaching value= 8 (average 2026 Power 5 coaching value=21.93) David Braun is ranked lower of the pack for coaches in the Power 5.
Quarterback Play: Aiden Chiles- ranked 38th in the Power 4, 11th in the Big Ten; 2026 QB value= 30.3 (Power 4 average- 26.43).
Impact Ball Catcher Metric: Northwestern has an Impact Ball Catcher Metric of 1. This puts the Wildcats at the lower tier for the Big Ten in this metric.
Final Thoughts:
Northwestern enters the season with more optimism than it has had in recent years. Aidan Chiles gives the offense a chance to improve, and there are enough playmakers around him to make the unit more competitive. If the Wildcats can generate more pressure defensively and stay healthy, they should have an opportunity to compete for a bowl game.
2026 Schedule analysis:
Projected Hourglass W/L record: Games in red denote games that could be a one possession game or even a different outcome than projection.
9/5/26 South Dakota State- Win
9/19/26 Colorado- Win
9/25/26 At Indiana- Loss
10/2/26 Penn State- Loss
10/10/26 Ball State- Win
10/17/26 At Michigan State- Loss
10/24/26 Rutgers- Loss
10/31/26 At Oregon- Loss
11/7/26 Iowa- Loss
11/14/26 At Ohio State- Loss
11/21/26 At Minnesota- Loss
11/28/26 Illinois- Loss
