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Coach David Braun's Northwestern Wildcats football program made big moves this offseason, bringing in renowned offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to coach the offense and quarterback Aidan Chiles to lead from inside the huddle. 

The Wildcats are also just days away from welcoming a new era for the program on Oct. 2 when Penn State will visit Evanston, Ill. to christen the new Ryan Field, which was built for $875 million and was called the "best stadium in football" by Braun. 

Northwestern's commitment to ambitious athletic goals was recently shared by athletic director Mark Jackson, who outlined his vision for a bold new era of Wildcats sports. 

On Wednesday, The Athletic released its rankings for major college football programs' estimated NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) budgets, which corresponds to the amount of money each school spends its roster.  

The Wildcats finished in the bottom half of the Big Ten and are reportedly spending in the ballpark of half as much as the highest spending teams nationally. 

Wildcats 12th in Big Ten NIL Spending

The Wildcats' estimated NIL spending is between $21-25 million, which places them on an even plane with Maryland and Michigan State. They were listed behind both of those teams by The Athletic, seeming to indicate a ranking of 12th among all 18 Big Ten teams. 

The Wildcats' estimated NIL budget puts them at less than half the spending of Ohio State and Oregon, the top two teams in the country and in the Big Ten. 

Ohio State spends and estimated $49-54 million on its roster while Oregon spends an estimated $48-54 million. Iowa ranked 15th among Big Ten teams listed and spends in an estimated range of $17-21 million. 

Colorado Spends Less Than Wildcats

The report indicated that coach Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes, a 2-0 football program that has gained national recognition in recent years, spends less than Northwestern.

The Buffaloes were listed with an estimated NIL budget of $18-21 million, ranked just ahead of the Hawkeyes on The Athletic's report. 

Coach Braun's Wildcats are 3.5-point favorites over Colorado heading into Saturday night's game, which could be one of the most exciting of the college football weekend. With the over/under set at 48.5 points, Las Vegas seems to think a shootout will unfold between the two teams. 

Northwestern doesn't have the same star power and expenditures of elite programs like the Buckeyes and the Ducks, but they do have an offense that could find itself among college football's best by the time the season ends. 

Better results on the field could equal more spending in the coming years as Northwestern continues to ramp up its program. 

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