***** As of Saturday night, NU is a 3.5-point favorite vs. Colorado in Evanston. ***** For the 2026 season, NU is unranked by the two major polls. ***** After week one, CBS Sports ranked the Wildcats 50, *down* two spots vs. the preseason, and just ahead of Clemson and Wake Forest. ***** CollegeFootballNews.com placed NU at 54th, down *nine* places from the preseason, but ahead of Wake Forest and Duke. ***** For breaking news and updates, visit the HTP Twitter Feed *****




Updated
Sept. 6, 2026




The Crown Tower
Clock should be:
PURPLE









 

















Aidan Chiles' Wildcat debut [Imagn Images]
'Cats Survive
South Dakota State Opener


Northwestern unveiled its new offense under Chip Kelly, and Kelly's squad delivered a win, beating FCS powerhouse South Dakota State 34-18 in Evanston.

Wildcat Preview and Prediction
The Lowes Line: S. Dakota St.

Here is the Line's pick for NU's season opener..

New Ryan Field Progresses

Updated images from the construction work on the New Ryan Field...

Wildcat History
Capt. Andrew Johnson

Thanks to a Northwestern alumnus, we can share a photo montage of NU's 1912 football captain...

Wildcat History
NU's First Football Game

As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Northwestern's first football game, HailToPurple.com has posted a series of articles about that first game. These four posts are part of the site's expanded section featuring NU's first game.









Introducing HailToPurple.com's
WildStats

A new feature linked in HTP's 'Cat Data Extra section, WildStats is a Power BI app report that shows interactive NU football statistics, including win / loss records dating from 1876 and team stats dating back to 2001.

The WildStats platform will be updated after every game this fall. Click here to open WildStats (will open in a new window).



Northwestern's 2025 season was the school's 140th playing football. Now, you can read about NU's very first season and how it all began.

Gus Hornsby's Gamble tells the story of Augustus Hornsby, the maverick English army officer who formed the Chicago Foot-Ball Club and taught the game to Northwestern students. Hornsby's story, relayed here for the first time anywhere, is a wild ride: he was a pioneer journalist, an explorer, and eventually a fabulously wealthy real estate tycoon. But his gambling addiction led to financial ruin and a stunning string of crimes that made Hornsby a nationally-hunted fugitive.

My book provides a new glimpse into life at Northwestern at the school's infancy and describes its first football team in detail. It is a must for any fan of Northwestern and NU history. Click here to learn more about the book. You can order it directly from Amazon.



Other pages updated this week (Sept. 6):

Uniform History Page
Martin Stadium Page
Future Schedules



Archived

Updated 9/5/26

Archived




DAYS HOURS MINS SECS








Next for the Wildcats:


Colorado
Martin Stadium
Sat., Sept. 19
6:30 p.m. CDT
TV: FOX or FS1



2026 Results
(1-0; 0-0 B1G)
W
S Dakota St-FCS, M
34-18
H Colorado - M Sep 19
A
Indiana - FRI Sep 25
H Penn State - FRI, R Oct 2
H Ball State - H.C., R Oct 10
A
Michigan State
Oct 17
H Rutgers - R Oct 24
A Oregon
Oct 31
H Iowa - R Nov 7
A Ohio State Nov 14
A Minnesota Nov 21
H Illinois - R Nov 28
- -
-
(M=NM Field. R=New Ryan Field)
 
2025 Results
(7-6; 4-5 B1G)
L Tulane 3-23
W Wstrn Ill - M 42-7
L
Oregon - M 14-34
W UCLA - M 17-14
W ULM - HC - M 42-7
W Penn State 22-21
W Purdue - M 19-0
L Nebraska 21-28
L USC 17-38
L Michigan - W 22-24
W Minnesota - W 38-35
L Illinois 13-20
W Cent. Mich. - Bowl 34-7
(M=NM Field. W=Wrigley Field)



Medicine Ball Is Now Administered Lakeside!








"...It will always be my school, our school."
--Gary Barnett, as quoted by Teddy Greenstein


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