Northwestern Wildcats Football Schedule 2026 (TV, Times)
Northwestern Wildcats 2026 schedule: 12 games, 7 at home, 8 on national TV. Kickoff times, TV channels, results and a printable PDF.
Next 3 games
| Date | Opponent | Kickoff | TV / stream |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Nov 14 | at Ohio State Buckeyes | 12:00 PM ET | Fox |
| Sat, Nov 21 | at Minnesota Golden Gophers | 12:00 PM ET | FS1 |
| Sat, Nov 28 | vs. Illinois Fighting Illini | TBD | TBD |
Northwestern football is played in Evanston, Illinois, on Lake Michigan just north of Chicago. The Wildcats spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons, plus the first two home games of 2026, at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, a temporary facility on the school's lakefront campus, while a new Ryan Field was built on the site of the old one. The new stadium on Central Street holds 35,000 and opened on October 2, 2026, against Penn State, 100 years after the original stadium's first game. Scroll down for the full schedule; kickoff times and broadcast partners are added when announced.
Season so far
- Record
- 6-3 (from final scores)
- Streak
- L2
- Games played
- 9
Last 3 results
- L 10–24 vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Sat, Nov 7
- L 26–34 at Oregon Ducks Sat, Oct 31
- W 42–14 vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights Sat, Oct 24
Next up
- When
- Sat, Nov 14 · 12:00 PM ET
- Where
- Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
- TV / stream
- Fox
| Date / kickoff | Matchup | TV / stream | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT | South Dakota State Jackrabbits at Northwestern Wildcats | BTN | 18–34 · Final |
| Sep 19, 2026, 7:30 PM EDT | Colorado Buffaloes at Northwestern Wildcats | Fox | 7–41 · Final |
| Sep 25, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT | Northwestern Wildcats at Indiana Hoosiers | Fox | 23–29 · Final |
| Oct 2, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT | Penn State Nittany Lions at Northwestern Wildcats | Fox | 13–34 · Final |
| Oct 10, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT | Ball State Cardinals at Northwestern Wildcats | BTN | 14–45 · Final |
| Oct 17, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT | Northwestern Wildcats at Michigan State Spartans | Peacock | 24–21 · Final |
| Oct 24, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT | Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Northwestern Wildcats | Peacock | 14–42 · Final |
| Oct 31, 2026, 3:30 PM EDT | Northwestern Wildcats at Oregon Ducks | Peacock | 26–34 · Final |
| Nov 7, 2026, 7:30 PM EST | Iowa Hawkeyes at Northwestern Wildcats | Fox | 24–10 · Final |
| Nov 14, 2026, 12:00 PM EST | Northwestern Wildcats at Ohio State Buckeyes | Fox | Scheduled |
| Nov 21, 2026, 12:00 PM EST | Northwestern Wildcats at Minnesota Golden Gophers | FS1 | Scheduled |
| Nov 28, 2026 · Time TBD | Illinois Fighting Illini at Northwestern Wildcats | TBD | Scheduled |
What channel is the Northwestern Wildcats game on this week?
This week: Northwestern Wildcats at Ohio State Buckeyes, Sat, Nov 14, 12:00 PM ET, on Fox.
Next game: at Ohio State Buckeyes · Sat, Nov 14, 12:00 PM ET · Ohio Stadium · TV/stream: Fox
Northwestern Wildcats recent results
- Nov 7: L 10–24 vs. Iowa Hawkeyes · aired on Fox
- Oct 31: L 26–34 at Oregon Ducks · streamed on Peacock
- Oct 24: W 42–14 vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights · streamed on Peacock
Related schedules
Big Ten schedule · College football on TV this week · Northwestern Wildcats men’s basketball schedule · Northwestern Wildcats women’s basketball schedule
From the blog
Northwestern Wildcats season at a glance
- Home and away
- 7 home games, 5 road games (12 games listed).
- Bye week
- Week 2 (between the Sep 5 game vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits and the Sep 19 game vs. Colorado Buffaloes).
- Prime-time kickoffs
- 5 games kicking off at 7 PM ET or later: Sep 5 vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits (BTN); Sep 19 vs. Colorado Buffaloes (Fox); Sep 25 at Indiana Hoosiers (Fox); Oct 2 vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (Fox); Nov 7 vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (Fox).
- TV and streaming listed
- Fox 5, Peacock 3, BTN 2, FS1 1; 1 game without a listed channel yet.
- Toughest stretch
- 2 straight games away from home, Nov 14 to Nov 21 (at Ohio State Buckeyes, at Minnesota Golden Gophers); shortest turnaround is 6 days, from the Sep 19 game vs. Colorado Buffaloes to the Sep 25 game at Indiana Hoosiers.
- Next game
- at Ohio State Buckeyes, Saturday, November 14 at 12:00 PM ET on Fox.
Computed from the schedule on this page. Times are U.S. Eastern. Prime time means a confirmed kickoff at 7 PM ET or later; a bye is a week number missing from the team's schedule; the toughest stretch is the longest run of consecutive games away from home and the shortest turnaround under seven days between games.
Northwestern Wildcats schedule by the numbers
- 7 home
- 5 away
- 8 on national TV (2 still to play)
- 3 national streaming only
Games by month: Sep 2026 3 · Oct 2026 5 · Nov 2026 4
National TV counts games on a national broadcast or cable network (such as ESPN, Fox, TNT or a national conference network); streaming-only national games (such as Peacock, Prime Video or ESPN+) are counted separately, and local or regional channels are not included.
Plan the rest of Northwestern Wildcats’ season
The available schedule contains 12 regular-season games: 9 completed and 3 not marked final. The remaining games include 1 at home, 2 away and 0 at neutral sites.
The next dated matchup is against Ohio State Buckeyes on November 14. Use the schedule above for the latest kickoff and channel.
1 remaining games have an unconfirmed kickoff or missing broadcast listing. Recheck those details before arranging travel or a watch party.
Northwestern Wildcats schedule notes
This page lists the regular-season games available from our sports data provider. Times and TV channels may change; unannounced details remain TBD. The PDF lists the games still to play (choose "PDF with past games" for the full regular season with games already played) and is a snapshot of the latest available data when downloaded.
Follow more than one team? Combine NFL and college teams in My Season to see their games together without duplicate matchups. Learn about PDF and calendar options.
Browse all team schedules →Northwestern Wildcats schedule FAQ
When is the Northwestern Wildcats bye week?
The Northwestern Wildcats bye week is Week 2 (between the Sep 5 game vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits and the Sep 19 game vs. Colorado Buffaloes), based on the week numbers in the current schedule.
How many prime-time games do the Northwestern Wildcats have?
The current schedule lists 5 games with a confirmed kickoff at 7 PM Eastern or later: vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Saturday, September 5; vs. Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, September 19; at Indiana Hoosiers on Friday, September 25; vs. Penn State Nittany Lions on Friday, October 2; vs. Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday, November 7. Games with a kickoff time still TBD are not counted.
What channel are Northwestern Wildcats games on?
Listed TV and streaming outlets for the Northwestern Wildcats this season: Fox (5 games), Peacock (3 games), BTN (2 games) and FS1 (1 game). 1 game has no channel listed yet. The next game, at Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, November 14, is listed on Fox. Channels can change, so check the schedule table above before kickoff.
How do I print the Northwestern Wildcats schedule?
Use the "Download PDF of remaining games" button near the top of this page to get a printable one-page PDF of the games still to play with kickoff times (choose "PDF with past games" for the full regular season) and TV channels, then print it from your PDF viewer. The PDF is a snapshot of the schedule when downloaded. To print several teams together, combine them in My Season first.