The planning continues for Northwestern’s new season.
On Tuesday, the Big Ten released every team’s football schedule, and the ’Cats’ season starts on Sept. 5 with a matchup against South Dakota State. However, fans will have to wait a little longer to find out where the games will be played.
A video posted to the football team’s social media pages announced that “Home Venue Info” will be revealed on Feb. 3.
The schedule includes the top four Big Ten teams from the final 2025 AP Poll, as well as Illinois, which finished unranked but received the most votes among unranked teams.
The Jackrabbits were the FCS national champions in 2022 and 2023, but lost to Montana in the second round of the playoffs last year. South Dakota State ranked 13th in the FCS in defense last season. Following this game, NU will have its lone bye of the 13-week season.
A home-and-home series against the Colorado Buffaloes begins this year when the ’Cats host coach Deion Sanders and his team on Sept. 19. Last season, the Buffaloes struggled to replace quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, going just 3-9.
A matchup against the national champion Indiana Hoosiers awaits NU at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington on Sept. 26 to open conference play. The Hoosiers are coming off a perfect 16-0 season and have just two losses over the last two seasons, both to teams that played for the national championship.
Despite losing Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza and star receiver Elijah Sarratt to the NFL draft, the Hoosiers found replacements in the portal in former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover and ex-Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh, who headlined ESPN’s 3rd-ranked portal class.
After ending James Franklin’s tenure at Penn State with an upset win at Beaver Stadium last year, the ’Cats will host the Nittany Lions on Oct. 3. Led by new coach Matt Campbell and the nearly two dozen players he took with him from Iowa State, the Nittany Lions will be a completely different team this year with the sixth-best transfer class that includes nearly 40 transfers.
NU then breaks up conference play with the team’s only Group of 6 foe on the season, Ball State, who travel to Evanston on Oct. 10. The Cardinals finished 4-8 last year and were outscored 73-3 in two games against Power 4 teams, Purdue and Auburn.
Former head coach Pat Fitzgerald and his Michigan State Spartans will host the ’Cats on Oct. 17. Fitzgerald, a linebacker on NU’s 1995 Rose Bowl team, spent 17 years as the ’Cats’ head coach before being fired in 2023. He heads to a Spartans program that has one winning season since coach Mark Dantonio retired after the 2019 season.
Coach David Braun’s crew will host Rutgers on Oct. 24. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a two-win conference slate against basement dwellers Purdue and Maryland. With a question mark at quarterback following the graduation of two-year starter Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers heads into the 2026 season looking for a fresh start.
Oregon, a 2025 College Football Playoff semifinalist, will host the ’Cats at Autzen Stadium on Halloween. The Ducks came to Martin Stadium on Sept. 13 and thrashed NU 34-14, leading 31-0 by the end of the third quarter. Oregon returns starting quarterback Dante Moore but is replacing both coordinators, who left for head coaching jobs.
Iowa will travel to Evanston on Nov. 7. Led by the longest-tenured coach in college football, Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes haven’t finished below .500 since 2012. Ferentz, the only head coach on the home sideline at Kinnick Stadium since the turn of the century, had just four losses last season, all to ranked teams.
NU’s series against 2025 CFP teams will continue when the ’Cats head to Columbus to take on Ohio State on Nov. 14. The Buckeyes had the best scoring defense in the country last year, and coach Ryan Day reloaded in the transfer portal with ESPN’s 5th-ranked class. Ohio State also returns star receiver Jeremiah Smith and quarterback Julian Sayin, who finished sixth and fourth in Heisman voting, respectively.
The ’Cats will then head to Minneapolis to face off against Minnesota at Huntington Bank Stadium on Nov 21. NU beat the Gophers last fall on a missed field goal at Wrigley Field, but will face a Minnesota team that went undefeated at home last year. The Gophers will return starting quarterback Drake Lindsey, but triple-threat receiver Koi Perich transferred to Oregon.
NU will conclude its season with a matchup for the Land of Lincoln Trophy against Illinois for the 120th time in its history on Nov. 28 in Evanston. The ’Cats will look to get revenge for last year’s snow-filled loss against the Illini, this time on the team’s home turf.
NU holds the advantage on its home turf in the 21st century, going 8-3 against Illinois at Ryan Field since 2000. However, the ’Cats have lost four of the last five games against the Illini.
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