ROUNDTABLE: Northwestern at No. 5 Indiana predictions
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The Wildcats (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) take to the road for the first time this season in Week 4 to battle the defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) on national television. Here’s an inside look at the thoughts of Inside NU staff and execs (no pun intended) for tonight’s matchup.
Charlie Jacobs (41-16 Indiana)
Indiana hasn’t been tested this season, and I don’t really see that changing here. Northwestern has scored 75 points throughout its first two games, but with what is known now about Georgia Tech and Colorado, that number looks a bit different. It’s still impressive, but scoring even 24 points against Indiana is a massive feat. Josh Hoover, who has been known to throw interceptions, has yet to throw a pick. Charlie Becker on the outside is a matchup nightmare. Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. make up a legitimate 1-2 punch at running back. Indiana has one of the top offensive lines in the country, and the defense is just as elite. Ezomo Oratokhai is missing the game and Braden Turner is doubtful. The bigger deal, in my opinion, is whether Northwestern covers the Indiana -21.5 spread. Hoosiers by a ton.
Kussh Mital (38-10 Indiana)
Northwestern comes into this one without any advantages. Indiana will look to put pressure on NU early and often with its high-powered run game and set up to throw over the top to deep threat Charlie Becker, as the Wildcats secondary that has shown sluggishness throughout the year. Despite the fresh dynamic offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has implemented in Northwestern’s playbook, it won’t be as easy for the ‘Cats to break off huge explosives as they did against South Dakota State and Colorado when facing this Indiana defense. The most important aspect is how Indiana is going to control this game in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Indiana aims to move Northwestern’s defensive linemen off the ball and dominate by climbing into the second level. Defensively, it hopes to take advantage of Northwestern’s banged up o’line, making it easier to stuff the run and bring pressure. All Northwestern can really hope for is to come out of this game healthy in search of a strong showing next week against Penn State when it opens the new Ryan Field.
Calvin Kaplan (38-20 Indiana)
Curt Cignetti is not overlooking this Wildcat squad, and for good reason. Northwestern’s 41-7 rout of Colorado last weekend was impressive, and it proved that — overlooking the defensive line — there isn’t a glaring positional weakness on the roster. That might change with the absence of top offensive lineman Ezomo Oratokhai against an Indiana defensive line that just secured the key returns of Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt following a preliminary injunction.
I expect Indiana to dominate in the trenches in this game, taking away much of the advantage that Northwestern has held in its two victories so far. A sleepy start for the Hoosiers seems possible given their lack of true tests so far this season, but I still think IU comes away with this one comfortably, even if NU’s Chip Kelly-led offense manages to creatively manufacture some points.
Could Northwestern shock the world and win this one? It’s not totally out of the question, but I don’t see it happening.
Drew Christmann (41-31 Indiana)
I’d be crazy to go with an upset, but I do expect a high-scoring affair. While Indiana has yet to face substantial competition, it’s handled its opponents with stellar offense, beating North Texas, Howard and Western Kentucky by a combined 145-16. TCU transfer QB Josh Hoover has been a big reason behind that, sliding in for last year’s Heisman winner and No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza with ease, throwing for 10 touchdowns on a 72.5% completion rate. In addition to the Hoosiers’ dominance in the air, the run game has been just as impressive, averaging an even 221 yards per game, a point of concern for Northwestern, allowing 180 yards against Colorado.
But the Wildcats’ offense is nothing to scoff at either. It’s no secret that Chip Kelly has helped revamp the offense after years of struggles. Aidan Chiles has looked fantastic in his system, throwing for 514 yards with a 67.4% completion rate and no interceptions, adding on three rushing touchdowns. The Northwestern running back room has been great, with Gavin Sawchuk, Joseph Himon II, and Caleb Komolafe running for 117, 115, and 95 yards across their two games, respectively.
Indiana hasn’t allowed a score in nine straight quarters, but it hasn’t seen an offense this talented. If the Northwestern defense can hold strong, I believe the Wildcats can beat the -21 spread. Whether that’s enough for an upset is something only Friday night’s matchup can answer.
Ascher Levin (28-17 Indiana)
Following a dominant showing against Colorado, Northwestern will have its hands full against the No. 5 team in the country. The ‘Cats are coming off another strong offensive performance led by Aidan Chiles, who was named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week, and Joe Himon II, who caught three touchdowns.
The Hoosiers haven’t faced much competition yet, making it difficult to get a clear read on them. Defensively, their biggest weakness appears to be the defensive line. Indiana allowed 152 rushing yards in its opener, but it will get two of its top defensive linemen back after both fifth-year players were granted injunctions. Their return should provide a significant boost.
On the other side of the ball, Indiana has plenty of talent. Wide receiver Charlie Becker has been the headliner with 272 yards and six touchdowns on just 12 catches. Northwestern’s corners will have their hands full. Running back Turbo Richard has also been impressive, averaging 7.7 yards per carry with 315 yards. After the ‘Cats allowed Colorado to rush for 180 yards, slowing down Indiana’s ground game will be critical.
One area Northwestern could exploit is quarterback Josh Hoover’s history of turnovers. He has yet to throw an interception this season but threw 13 last year, 11 the year before and nine the year before that. Northwestern already has three interceptions this season and will look for opportunities to force Hoover into mistakes.
Indiana will be a very tough test, but I expect Northwestern to compete for four quarters and put together another strong showing. Ultimately, though, I think the Hoosiers have too much and the ‘Cats fall short.
Whitley Williams (41-31 Indiana)
The Northwestern Wildcats have looked impressive after two home wins. Could they shock the world against the defending national champions?
On paper, Northwestern and Indiana have kickstarted their 2026 campaign in a similar fashion. Both have amassed over 450 yards per game. Both teams are defensively led. TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover and Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles have played A LOT of football.
Josh Hoover has played with accuracy and dominance, recording 10 touchdowns and completing over 70% of his passes.
Up to this point, Northwestern has played more difficult opponents in South Dakota State (2-1) and Colorado (2-1). Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles is playing with poise and confidence.Wheel routes and Joseph Himon’s II’s swiftness defined their win against Colorado.
Indiana has more depth at every facet of the game. It has a plethora of offensive weapons on the ground and through the air. Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh have accounted for 8 touchdowns this season. Turbo Richard has rushed for 315 yards and recorded 4 touchdowns. The Hoosiers defense has only allowed 5.3 points per game.
Under Curt Cignetti’s strict program, the Hoosiers are undoubtedly a challenge for any team in college football.
Northwestern has a new identity. It must stop the run, generate turnovers, and execute an offensive game plan fueled by trickery against the Hoosiers to shock the world.
Zac Penson (34-20 Indiana)
Indiana is almost certainly going to win. They are just one of the best teams in the country and are coached so well. The reason why Northwestern had such a commanding win last week was primarily because Colorado decided never to cover Joe Himon – an interesting strategy. With the experienced coaching that Indiana has, I just don’t see Northwestern being able to call the same play four times with three of which resulting in a touchdown. Obviously Cignetti has watched the tape and Indiana is well aware of this play.
However, don’t count Chip Kelly out. He is creative, nifty and has proven to be resilient in the college world. He is a powerful force for this Northwestern team and he is almost surely scheming up something different to throw off this talented defense.
On the defensive side, it is a tough matchup. Josh Hoover hasn’t thrown any interceptions yet this year and looks to be tossing it quite well. Albeit, Indiana’s non-conference schedule has been weak so this is really their first test. But, after what we now know about Sanders and his Colorado team, Northwestern hasn’t really been tested either.
I expect this to be a very similar game to the USC game from last year. I believe Northwestern can compete, but Indiana won’t let any errors go unpunished. Do I think it’s possible that Northwestern can pull off the upset? Maybe. But I don’t exactly see this becoming a reality. It would be awesome if it happened though.
Donovan West (38-24 Indiana)
Just a few years ago, Indiana and Northwestern were frequent basement dwellers of the Big Ten, laughed at for their irrelevance and incompetence.
Then, Indiana found Curt Cignetti.
The rest of the story is a fairy tale we’ve all heard thousands of times before, but to summarize it quickly: Indiana is now the king of the college football world. The days of Clemson and Alabama are behind us, as the Hoosiers have risen to the top.
This is all to say that Indiana and Northwestern aren’t on the same level right now. While Northwestern’s new stadium is a step in the right direction toward total program and booster buy-in, the ‘Cats aren’t ready to be amongst the Big Ten higher-ups.
Northwestern will compete in the game, and Chip Kelly’s offense will flash brilliance, but Indiana’s overall roster is too talented and too deep. Becker and Marsh may be the best WR duo in the country, and the ‘Cats won’t be able to keep up. The game will be close going into halftime, but when the final whistle is blown, Indiana will have added to its unbeaten streak of 19 games.
Matt Campbell (21-17 Northwestern)
At least one of us at Inside NU needs to make this thing fun, so if you’ve read to the end of this one, congrats.
Here’s your craziest take of the season: the Cardiac ‘Cats will find a way.
Sure, every argument that you can possibly make about the discrepancies in personnel are there: Northwestern isn’t as fast, its offensive line is banged up, IU returns a pair of run disruptors – especially Stephen Daley, who finished third in the FBS with 19 tackles for loss in 2025 – but what if that’s the entire point?
Chip Kelly’s success through NU’s first two games has been in utilizing the unorthodox makeup of Northwestern’s offense, especially its receiving corps, to his advantage. In 2025, everything relied on the methodical route running Griffin Wilde brought to the Wildcat offense. This year? Completely different story: Joe Himon in the slot, Drew Wagner in the run game and both tight ends (Luke Dehnicke and Alex Honig) out in the pass game out of heavy sets.
Let’s not forget that Chiles is at his peak and seeing the Bryant Haines defense for the third time in his career. When he trekked into Memorial Stadium last year with Michigan State, he went 27-of-33 on his passes for 243 yards through the air and tacked on a season-high 64-yard scamper. He was, without a doubt, the biggest bright spot for Sparty that day.
NU hasn’t upset a team on the road since the Clayton Thorson era, back on October 6, 2018, when NU up-ended then-No. 20 Michigan State. 2,911 days later, Northwestern will take a former Spartan into the lion’s den of Bloomington in an attempt to shock the globe.
It seems poetic in a way for this to happen. You just gotta believe.
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