Northwestern Wildcats 2026 College Football Preview & Predictions

In three seasons since taking over for Pat Fitzgerald, David Braun has led Northwestern to two winning seasons, two bowl appearances, and two bowl wins. If he keeps batting .667, Braun can probably coach in Evanston for as long as he wants.

Northwestern Wildcats Snapshot

• 2025 Record: 7-6 (4-5) | Big Ten Finish: 10th (tied)
• P. Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | SP+: No. 49
• Head Coach: David Braun (4th Year) | Record: 19-19
• Offensive Coordinator: Chip Kelly (1st Year)
• Defensive Coordinator: Tim McGarigle (3rd Year/9th at Northwestern)

Even at their best, the Wildcats overcome a lackluster offense to succeed. Enter new OC Chip Kelly, new QB Coach Jerry Neuheisel, and new QB Aidan Chiles. Can that trio raise the ceiling at Northwestern as the program opens its new stadium?

Northwestern Futures Odds (DraftKings)

• Regular Season Wins: OVER 5.5 +110 | UNDER 5.5 -130
• Conference Wins: OVER 2.5 -125 | UNDER 2.5 +105
• National Championship Odds: +100000 | CFB Playoff Odds: n/a
• B1G Championship Odds: +50000 | To Reach B1GCG: +14000

Will they, or won’t they, make a bowl for the second consecutive season for the first time since 2017-18? That is the question. And the oddsmakers make it a toss-up with the rest of Northwestern’s futures among the longer shots in college football. Only Rutgers, Michigan State, and Purdue have longer odds to make/win the Big Ten Championship Game and win it.

Northwestern Preview: Why You Should Buy

• Skill Players on Offense
• Back 7 on Defense

Aiden Childs is joining an underrated backfield. Caleb Komolafe returns after rushing for 941 yards (5.0 YPC, 11 TDs), as does lightning-quick backup Joseph Himon II (486 yards, 4.9 YPC). They will be joined by Gavin Sawchuk, a former top 100 recruit who averaged 5.1 YPC with 19 TDs at Oklahoma and Florida State. Their top three wideouts are also back, including Griffin Wilde (71-880-8 TDs), a major find in the portal. Hayden Eligon II (521 yards) recorded 18 of his 37 receptions in the final three games of 2025. There’s more upside here than a typical Northwestern team.

On defense, Braydon Brus (81 tackles) and OU transfer Kobie McKinzie make for a solid duo at linebacker. Leading the secondary are a trio of All-Big Ten caliber defenders in DB Braden Turner (56 tackles, 2 INTs), CB Josh Fussell (9 PDs), and S Robert Fitzgerald (114 tackles). They are very active, and all have a nose for the football. Both of these units are strong.

Northwestern Preview: Why You Should Sell

• Lost 3/5 Starters on O-Line
• Lost 3/4 Starters on D-Line

The lack of experience in the trenches scares me. Sophomore Ezomo Oratokhai impressed in his first season at guard, and center Jack Carsello did as well. They are back. Left tackle Grant Seagren was a starter at Oklahoma State and an OK portal addition. The rest of the offensive line and depth is mostly unproven.

It’s a similar story on the defensive line where DT Brendan Flakes is a quality anchor. Michael Kilbane showed promise last season, but losing leading pass rusher Aidan Hubbard (7.5 sacks) and fellow EDGE Anto Saka (12 career sacks), who transferred to Texas A&M, will be challenging to replace.

Northwestern Breakout Player: The Tight Ends

• Transfer Luke Dehnicke (Minnesota-Duluth)
• Transfer Alex Honig (UConn)

Minnesota-Duluth? Yes, Minnesota-Duluth. Luke Dehnicke comes to Northwestern after putting up a monster season with the Division II program. He was the NSIC Offensive Newcomer of the Year and led DII with 97.6 receiving yards per game, as he put up 1,119 yards and 14 TDs on 61 receptions. He might be coming from a small school but is 6’6” and provides a huge target with reliable hands. Even bigger at 275 pounds (also 6’6”), Alex Honig is your prototypical blocking tight end who also made an impact in UConn’s passing attack with three TD grabs among his 13 receptions last season.

Northwestern X-Factor: The Offensive Infusion

• Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly
• Quarterbacks coach Jerry Neuheisel
• Quarterback Aidan Chiles

The Wildcats haven’t ranked inside SP+’s top 80 since 2018, per Bill Connelly. So even a below-average offense could be a major improvement for Braun’s team. This should be one of the beefier lines of scrimmage, allowing Chip Kelly to run the ball and play a physical brand of football. Aidan Chiles is an athletic quarterback with a strong arm. His mobility should also fit in well with what Kelly wants to do. He’s a talented quarterback who fell short of expectations at Michigan State.

That’s where former UCLA boy wonder Jerry Neuheisel comes in. Remember last season when he seemed to unlock something in Nico Iamaleava? Chiles doesn’t have the same upside but possesses untapped potential, especially if he can continue to cut down on mistakes. After throwing 11 interceptions (13 TDs) as a sophomore, he responded with 10 TDs to 3 INTs as a junior before injuries cut his season short.

Northwestern Schedule Analysis

• SP+ SOS Rank: 6
• Phil Steele Toughest Schedules: 14

The Wildcats play at Indiana, at Oregon, and at Ohio State. Ouch! That’s the Big Ten’s top three teams, all on the road. Honestly, the road part affects their strength-of-schedule metric, but they’re not beating those teams regardless of where the game is played. Northwestern hopes to offset those losses with out-of-conference wins against South Dakota State, Colorado, and Ball State.

How does the rest of the schedule look? It’s not easy, but their remaining games are all winnable, and all losable if we’re being fair. The ‘Cats host Iowa and Penn State, who both begin the season ranked. Wins over Minnesota (R) and Illinois (H) would also be considered upsets, with Rutgers (H) and Michigan State (R) as their two weakest conference opponents. Another challenge is an early off week (Week 2), which means the ‘Cats will play 11 straight games to end the season. Double ouch!

Northwestern Best Bet, Long Shot, & Prediction: OVER/UNDER 5.5 Wins

• Win Total: OVER 5.5 (+150 @ DraftKings)
• Best Bet: OVER 2.5 Conference Wins (–125 @ DraftKings)
• Long Shot: Exactly 6 Wins (+400 @ DraftKings)

The Wildcats look like a bowl team to me. But boy, that schedule is daunting for a bottom-third Big Ten program. Nevertheless, I’m leaning towards the over if I had to pick, especially considering the odds. They should be as good as or better than last season’s team that upset Penn State on the road, beat Minnesota, and nearly knocked off Michigan. They take care of business against the bad teams and pull off an upset or two. That’s what quality Northwestern teams do.

They might be vulnerable early on, so three conference wins (a must to go over 5.5) are more likely. If you sprinkle a little on exactly six wins and they do sweep their out-of-conference games, you’ll end up making even more than taking over 5.5 straight away. Hitting seven feels like too much to ask.