After wrapping up an extremely manageable non-conference slate that includes matchups against North Texas, Howard, and Western Kentucky, the Indiana Hoosiers begin Big Ten play in Week 4 against Northwestern. The Hoosiers should be 3-0 heading into this Friday night contest, which has a kick-off time of 8 p.m. ET and will be nationally televised on FOX.
Northwestern is coming off a 7-6 season that culminated in a win over Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl. Entering Year 4 of the David Braun era in Evanston, the Wildcats are looking to build on that momentum and take a step forward in the Big Ten this season. What can Hoosier fans expect from the Wildcats when this matchup comes around?
Northwestern's offense has a lot of moving pieces
Braun's tenure at Northwestern has resulted in an even .500 record of 19-19. He is just 11-16 in Big Ten play, and is a measly 6-12 against Big Ten competition over the last two seasons. However, Braun is hoping that multiple headline-grabbing changes to his coaching staff results to more wins in 2026.
Over the offseason, Braun brought in former Oregon, 49ers, Eagles, and UCLA head coach Chip Kelly to be Northwestern's offensive coordinator. Kelly spent last season back in the NFL as the offensive coordinator for the Raiders, but now he returns to the college ranks for the first time since 2024 when he won a National Championship as Ohio State's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
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It will be interesting to see how Kelly leads the Northwestern offense, especially with Michigan State transfer QB Aidan Chiles expected to be QB1 for the Wildcats. Chiles showed flashes of his potential in East Lansing, but the consistency wasn't there.
Furthermore, Braun hired Jerry Neuheisel from UCLA to be Northwestern's quarterbacks coach. Interestingly enough. Neuheisel was promoted to UCLA's offensive coordinator following a loss to Northwestern last season when the Bruins parted ways with head coach DeShaun Foster. Neuheisel shined in his new role, and helped lead UCLA to a shocking win over Top-10 Penn State in his first game as the play-caller.
Last year's two leading rushers Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II are both back, but generally speaking, there are plenty of question marks surrounding the Northwestern offense this season.
The running game will be key for Indiana against Northwestern
The Wildcats were quite susceptible to giving up chunks of yards on the ground last season. They gave up 136.3 rushing yards per game, which ranked 10th in the Big Ten. In Bloomington, the Hoosiers led the Big Ten and ranked 2nd nationally by allowing just 77.2 rushing yards per game.
Northwestern's woes against the run led to an 0-5 record when allowing more than 155 rushing yards to its opponents last season. Conversely, the Wildcats were a strong 7-1 when limiting the opposition to 155 rushing yards or fewer.
Indiana lost both Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby to the NFL, but the RB room consisting of Boston College transfer Turbo Richard, sophomore Khobie Martin, and senior Lee Beebe Jr. has elite potential. If the Hoosiers can pick up chunks of yards on the ground while also limiting the Northwestern rushing attack, Curt Cignetti's squad should be in good shape.
Indiana vs Northwestern score prediction
Northwestern: 24
Indiana: 41
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