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The Northwestern Wildcats are ranked in the top 25 for the first time since the 2020-2021 season. At 4-1, the 25th-ranked Wildcats have not been a pushover and even gave Indiana a scare earlier this year.
Fourth-year head coach David Braun has the Wildcats competing with the best and looking stronger than ever. They gave the defending national champions a run for their money in Week 4, only losing by six. They stuck around in that game and cut the 12-0 early deficit to two in the fourth quarter.
The addition of offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has given the offense a rebirth. They have run through every other opponent this season. Kelly's offensive numbers are nothing to write home about, but they are night and day from last year.
Last season, the Wildcat offense averaged 346.1 yards per game and 5.4 yards per play. This season, they average 437.4 yards per game and 7.8 yards per play. Kelly has been relying on the Wing-T scheme on offense and has a lot of misdirection in the backfield on run plays.
The biggest improvement from this revamped offense is their ability to score a lot of points. In 2025, Northwestern only averaged 23.4 points per game. Under Kelly, they averaged 35.4 points per game. They are also beating their opponents with an average margin of victory of 25.5.
With ranked teams like Ohio State and Iowa remaining on the schedule, only time will tell if Northwestern is finally competitive.
The No. 25 Wildcats head to Michigan where they will square off with Michigan State on Saturday, October 17 (12 p.m. ET).
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