1–1 Big Ten. Won last game
Last win: beat Penn State 34–13 on Fri, Oct 2
Next: Sat, Oct 10 vs Ball State, 11:30 AM CDT on BTN
Conferences and pages
When did Northwestern football last win?
Northwestern last won on Friday, October 2, 2026, beating Penn State Nittany Lions 34–13 at home. That was 4 days ago.
Northwestern is 3–1 (1–1 ACC) and 10th in the ACC. The full schedule, every result and each game's box score are below.
The longer waits
284days 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 1:55 AM ET.
Northwestern Wildcats schedule and results Week Date Opponent Result 1 Sat, Sep 5 
vs South Dakota StateW 34–18 2 Open week 3 Sat, Sep 19 
vs ColoradoW 41–7 4 Fri, Sep 25 
at No. 5 IndianaL 23–29 5 Fri, Oct 2 
vs Penn StateW 34–13 6 Sat, Oct 10 
vs Ball State11:30 AM CDT on BTN 7 Sat, Oct 17 
at Michigan State12:00 AM EDT 8 Sat, Oct 24 
vs Rutgers11:00 PM CDT 9 Sat, Oct 31 
at No. 13 Oregon9:00 PM PDT 10 Sat, Nov 7 
vs No. 20 Iowa11:00 PM CST 11 Sat, Nov 14 
at No. 5 Ohio State12:00 AM EST 12 Sat, Nov 21 
at Minnesota11:00 PM CST 13 Sat, Nov 28 
vs Illinois11:00 PM CST
Northwestern right now
Northwestern beat Penn State 34–13 on Fri, Oct 2 and now stands at 3–1 (1–1 ACC), 10th in the ACC. The counter has sat at 4 days since. Next, Northwestern hosts Ball State on Sat, Oct 10 at 11:30 AM CDT on BTN.
Every other time Northwestern last won
- When did Northwestern last win at home?
- October 2, 2026, 34–13 against Penn State (4 days ago)
- When did Northwestern last win on the road?
- October 11, 2025, 22–21 against Penn State (360 days ago)
- When did Northwestern last beat a ranked team?
- November 21, 2020, 17–7 against No. 10 Wisconsin (2,145 days ago)
- When did Northwestern last win a bowl or playoff game?
- GameAbove Sports Bowl, December 26, 2025 (284 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.
- What is Northwestern's current streak?
- Won last game
- What is Northwestern's longest losing streak since 2017?
- 12 games, ending September 3, 2023
Common questions
How many days since Northwestern football last won?
As of October 6, 2026, it has been 4 days since Northwestern last won. Northwestern beat Penn State 34–13 on October 2, 2026.
What is Northwestern's record this season?
Northwestern is 3–1, 1–1 in ACC play, and 10th in the ACC. Won last game.
When does Northwestern play next?
Northwestern hosts Ball State on Sat, Oct 10 at 11:30 AM CDT on BTN.
Drought history
Regular season results for Northwestern Wildcats from 2017 through 2026, conference championship games included, a combined record of 50–59.
- 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.
| Season | Record |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 3–1 |
| 2025 | 6–6 |
| 2024 | 4–8 |
| 2023 | 7–5 |
| 2022 | 1–11 |
| 2021 | 3–9 |
| 2020 | 6–2 |
| 2019 | 3–9 |
| 2018 | 8–5 |
| 2017 | 9–3 |
Recent weeks
Put this counter on your site
The Northwestern counter is free to embed, updates itself, and needs no account. Grab the one-line snippet.
Also in the ACC: Boston College, California, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest.