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Northwestern football played the defending Indiana Hooisers to a close 29-23 loss in Bloomington last week, earning coach David Braun's team respect in the eyes of poll voters and media members.

The Wildcats will get another crack at a top Big Ten program this weekend as they are set to host the Penn State Nittany Lions at the New Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill. 

As the season continues to unfold, bowl predictions are pouring in, including the Wildcats in a pair of exciting matchups. 

Wildcats Get Two Separate Cactus Bowl Predictions

The Cactus Bowl is being held at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona and is a nationally televised (ABC) game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 26. 

The game started in 1989 as the Copper Bowl and has had eight names since its inception including the Insight.com Bowl and Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. Both Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach of ESPN have the Wildcats playing in the Cactus Bowl at the conclusion of the 2026 regular season.

While the game is not considered a marquee bowl game, it would give Braun's team another exciting matchup, an opportunity for its fans to travel somewhere warm, and a national stage that would appeal to recruits. 

Oklahoma State, Baylor Possible Opponents

Bonagura picked the Wildcats to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who scored a huge upset victory against the Oregon Ducks behind the stellar play of star QB Drew Mestemaker on September 12. 

The Cowboys beat a short-handed Ducks team 39-31 in one of the biggest upset victories of the 2026 season so far. Coach Eric Morris' team is 3-1 this season with its lone loss coming 24-10 to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the first weekend of the season. 

Schlabach picked coach Dave Aranda's Baylor Bears as the Wildcats' opponents. The Bears are 3-1 on the season with the lone loss coming 17-16 in Week 1 to the Auburn Tigers. 

Wildcats on Six-Game Bowl Winning Streak

The Wildcats have won six straight bowl games dating back to 2016, including last season's 34-7 GameAbove Sports Bowl win over the Central Michigan Chippewas. 

That game was coached by Braun, whose Wildcats also beat former Utah Utes coach and current Michigan Wolverines coach Kyle Whittingham's team in the 2023 Las Vegas Bowl by a score of 14-10. 

Braun's Wildcats are looking like a program to watch as the 2026 season heads into its midseason. A Cactus Bowl appearance would seem like a letdown after the fireworks that have opened the season, but Braun and his players have the right mentality to make the most of wherever the 2026 season takes them. 

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