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When did Northwestern football last win?

Northwestern last won on Saturday, October 10, 2026, beating Ball State Cardinals 45–14 at home. That was 4 days ago.

Northwestern last lost on Friday, September 25, 2026, falling to Indiana 29–23. That was 19 days ago.

Northwestern is 4–1 (1–1 Big Ten) and 10th in the Big Ten, ranked No. 25 in the AP Top 25. The full schedule, every result and each game's box score are below.

The longer waits

292days since its last bowl or playoff winLast bowl or playoff win: GameAbove Sports Bowl, December 26, 2025, against Central Michigan
Nonenational titles since 1998Counting national champions since the BCS began with the 1998 season.

Updated 8:55 PM CT.

  1. No. 25

    1–1 Big Ten. Won 2 straight

    Last win: beat Ball State 45–14 on Sat, Oct 10

    Next: Sat, Oct 17 at Michigan State, 12:00 PM EDT on Peacock

    Northwestern Wildcats schedule and results
    WeekDateOpponentResult
    1Sat, Sep 5vs South Dakota StateW 34–18
    2Open week
    3Sat, Sep 19vs ColoradoW 41–7
    4Fri, Sep 25at No. 5 IndianaL 23–29
    5Fri, Oct 2vs Penn StateW 34–13
    6Sat, Oct 10vs Ball StateW 45–14
    7Sat, Oct 17at Michigan State12:00 PM EDT on Peacock
    8Sat, Oct 24vs Rutgers11:00 AM CDT on Peacock
    9Fri, Oct 30at Oregon9:00 PM PDT
    10Fri, Nov 6vs No. 17 Iowa11:00 PM CST
    11Fri, Nov 13at No. 4 Ohio State12:00 AM EST
    12Fri, Nov 20at Minnesota11:00 PM CST
    13Fri, Nov 27vs Illinois11:00 PM CST

Northwestern right now

Northwestern beat Ball State 45–14 on Sat, Oct 10 and now stands at 4–1 (1–1 Big Ten), 10th in the Big Ten. Northwestern is No. 25 in the AP Top 25. The counter has sat at 4 days since. That makes 2 straight wins. Next, Northwestern visits Michigan State on Sat, Oct 17 at 12:00 PM EDT on Peacock.

Every other time Northwestern last won

When did Northwestern last win at home?
October 10, 2026, 45–14 against Ball State (4 days ago)
When did Northwestern last win on the road?
October 11, 2025, 22–21 against Penn State (368 days ago)
When did Northwestern last beat a ranked team?
November 21, 2020, 17–7 against No. 10 Wisconsin (2,153 days ago)
When did Northwestern last win a bowl or playoff game?
GameAbove Sports Bowl, December 26, 2025 (292 days ago)
When did Northwestern last win a national title?
Not since at least 1998. This counts BCS and College Football Playoff champions, from the 1998 season on.
When did Northwestern last beat Illinois?
November 25, 2023, 45–43 against Illinois (1,054 days ago)
When did Northwestern last beat Indiana?
Not since at least 2017.
When did Northwestern last beat Iowa?
October 31, 2020, 21–20 against Iowa (2,174 days ago)
When did Northwestern last beat Maryland?
October 11, 2024, 37–10 against Maryland (733 days ago)
When did Northwestern last beat Michigan?
Not since at least 2017.
When did Northwestern last beat Michigan State?
October 6, 2018, 29–19 against No. 20 Michigan State (2,930 days ago)
When did Northwestern last beat Minnesota?
November 22, 2025, 38–35 against Minnesota (326 days ago)
When did Northwestern last beat Nebraska?
August 27, 2022, 31–28 against Nebraska (1,509 days ago)
When did Northwestern last beat Ohio State?
Not since at least 2017.
When did Northwestern last beat Oregon?
Not since at least 2017.
When did Northwestern last beat Penn State?
October 2, 2026, 34–13 against Penn State (12 days ago)
When did Northwestern last beat Purdue?
October 18, 2025, 19–0 against Purdue (361 days ago)
When did Northwestern last beat Rutgers?
October 16, 2021, 21–7 against Rutgers (1,824 days ago)
When did Northwestern last beat UCLA?
September 27, 2025, 17–14 against UCLA (382 days ago)
When did Northwestern last beat USC?
Not since at least 2017.
When did Northwestern last beat Washington?
Not since at least 2017.
When did Northwestern last beat Wisconsin?
November 11, 2023, 24–10 against Wisconsin (1,068 days ago)
What is Northwestern's current streak?
Won 2 straight
What is Northwestern's longest losing streak since 2017?
12 games, ending September 3, 2023

When did Northwestern last lose?

When did Northwestern last lose?
September 25, 2026, 29–23 loss to Indiana (19 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose at home?
November 15, 2025, 24–22 loss to Michigan (333 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose on the road?
September 25, 2026, 29–23 loss to Indiana (19 days ago)
When was Northwestern last shut out?
October 26, 2019, 20–0 loss to Iowa (2,545 days ago)
When did Northwestern last score 40 or more points?
October 10, 2026, 45–14 win over Ball State (4 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Illinois?
November 29, 2025, 20–13 loss to Illinois (319 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Indiana?
September 25, 2026, 29–23 loss to Indiana (19 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Iowa?
October 26, 2024, 40–14 loss to Iowa (718 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Maryland?
October 22, 2022, 31–24 loss to Maryland (1,453 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Michigan?
November 15, 2025, 24–22 loss to Michigan (333 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Michigan State?
September 3, 2021, 38–21 loss to Michigan State (1,867 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Minnesota?
November 12, 2022, 31–3 loss to Minnesota (1,432 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Nebraska?
October 25, 2025, 28–21 loss to Nebraska (354 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Ohio State?
November 16, 2024, 31–7 loss to Ohio State (697 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Oregon?
September 13, 2025, 34–14 loss to Oregon (396 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Penn State?
September 30, 2023, 41–13 loss to Penn State (1,110 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Purdue?
November 19, 2022, 17–9 loss to Purdue (1,425 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Rutgers?
September 3, 2023, 24–7 loss to Rutgers (1,137 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to USC?
November 7, 2025, 38–17 loss to USC (341 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Washington?
September 21, 2024, 24–5 loss to Washington (753 days ago)
When did Northwestern last lose to Wisconsin?
October 19, 2024, 23–3 loss to Wisconsin (725 days ago)

Common questions

How many days since Northwestern football last won?

As of October 14, 2026, it has been 4 days since Northwestern last won. Northwestern beat Ball State 45–14 on October 10, 2026.

What is Northwestern's record this season?

Northwestern is 4–1, 1–1 in Big Ten play, and 10th in the Big Ten. Northwestern is ranked No. 25 in the AP Top 25. Won 2 straight.

Has Northwestern won a game this season?

Yes. Northwestern has won 4 games this season and is 4–1.

When does Northwestern play next?

Northwestern visits Michigan State on Sat, Oct 17 at 12:00 PM EDT on Peacock.

What was the last game Northwestern played?

Northwestern beat Ball State 45–14 at home on October 10, 2026.

Did Northwestern win its last game?

Yes. Northwestern beat Ball State 45–14 at home on October 10, 2026.

What is Northwestern's record right now?

Northwestern is 4–1, 10th in the Big Ten.

What conference is Northwestern in?

Northwestern plays in the Big Ten, one of 18 teams.

Against the conference

Since 2017, Northwestern is 36–47 against the rest of the Big Ten as it stands today, across 83 meetings with 17 different opponents.

Northwestern's best record is against UCLA (1–0), and Oregon has given it the most trouble (0–1).

Northwestern Wildcats record against Big Ten opponents since 2017
OpponentRecordWin rate
Purdue head to head6–367%
Illinois head to head5–456%
Nebraska head to head4–450%
Wisconsin head to head3–538%
Iowa head to head3–538%
Minnesota head to head4–357%
Maryland head to head4–180%
Michigan State head to head2–340%
Penn State head to head2–340%
Ohio State head to head0–50%
Michigan head to head0–40%
Rutgers head to head2–167%
Indiana head to head0–30%
UCLA head to head1–0100%
USC head to head0–10%
Washington head to head0–10%
Oregon head to head0–10%

Drought history

Regular season results for Northwestern Wildcats from 2017 through 2026, conference championship games included, a combined record of 51–59.

  • Longest losing streak since 2017: 12 straight games, from September 10, 2022 to September 3, 2023.
  • Longest stretch between wins: 378 days, ending with a win over UTEP on September 9, 2023.
  • The current drought stands at 4 days, 374 short of that mark.
Northwestern Wildcats record by season
SeasonRecord
20264–1
20256–6
20244–8
20237–5
20221–11
20213–9
20206–2
20193–9
20188–5
20179–3

Recent weeks

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Also in the Big Ten: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Washington, Wisconsin.