It's game day Hoosier fans!
Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers are set to take on the Northwestern Wildcats on Friday night at Memorial Stadium. The game serves as the Big Ten opener for both teams. Indiana is off to a 3-0 start after cruising to non-conference wins over North Texas, Howard, and Western Kentucky. Northwestern is also undefeated, but it has played only two games. The Wildcats beat South Dakota State 34-18 and Colorado 41-7 to start their 2026 campaign.
4 gutsy bold predictions for Indiana vs. Northwestern in the Big Ten opener
The Hoosiers have taken care of business in emphatic fashion in each game so far, but the Big Ten schedule is sure to bring on more challenges for the defending national champs. Northwestern is an intriguing team, and has a vastly-improved offense under new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. The Hoosiers are favored, but they shouldn't overlook the Wildcats under the Friday night lights.
How to watch Indiana vs Northwestern: Channel, streaming, kick-off time, and more
Kick-off between the Hoosiers and Wildcats is set for 8 p.m. ET. If you don't plan on attending this Big Ten-opening matchup in person, the best way to watch the Hoosiers take on the Wildcats is via FOX. The broadcast crew will consist of Connor Onion (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst), and Alexa Landestoy (sideline reporter). You can also stream the game via Fubo or the FOX Sports app.
This is the lone Friday night game on Indiana's regular season schedule. It is also the first night game for the Hoosiers this season. Last season, Indiana's first night game came in Week 4 against then-No. 9 Illinois. IU fans remember that game well, as the Cream and Crimson put forth a dominating effort en route to a 63-10 win. That contest started to point to the 2025 season being a special one in Bloomington.
As Big Ten teams, Indiana and Northwestern are no strangers to one another. The two teams have met a total of 84 times on the gridiron, with the Wildcats owning a 47-36-1 advantage in the all-time series. Cignetti has faced Northwestern once during his tenure in Bloomington. That meeting came back on October 5, 2024 in Evanston, and Cignetti led the Hoosiers to a 41-24 victory.
Professional oddsmakers appear to have plenty of faith in Cignetti's ability to lead his team to another lopsided win over Northwestern. The Hoosiers are currently favored by three touchdowns, which shows how much confidence Vegas has in Indiana's ability to move to 4-0.
But the game isn't played on paper. The Hoosiers still have a job to do, and Cignetti will undoubtedly have his team well-prepared and dialed in. Let's go Hoosiers!
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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