PollBehaviorAP Top 25 Voter Analytics
College FootballLoading Scores…All Games →
Published AP Ballots — 6 Verified Current-Season Polls

School Profile

Northwestern · School Profile

Wildcats

School facts, program titles and available AP poll analysis

Overall Record3–12026 · Updated Oct 5Schedule & Results →

My Teams

Choose Your Teams

Pick up to three schools. Changes save as you go.

0 of 3 Selected3 spots open

Your picks will appear here.

Select a school to add it to My Teams.

Saved on this device. No account needed.

Saved on this device. No account needed.

Current Programs & Conferences

2026 FBS football and 2026–27 NCAA Division I basketball. Historical title affiliations appear with the sourced program history below.

ProgramCurrent AffiliationSources & References
Football · FBSBig Ten Conference
Sources & References

The Bigger Picture · Football

Where Northwestern Finished

Final AP rankings after the postseason. Coverage: 1989 through 2025.

Meet the School ↓

Football · Conference Titles

8 Big Ten Championships

  • 1903*
  • 1926*
  • 1930*
  • 1931*
  • 1936
  • 1995
  • 1996*
  • 2000*

* Shared conference title

Explore Big Ten Conference →
Sources & References
Top 25 Finishes
7 / 37 seasons
Top 10 Finishes
2 / 37 seasons
Best Final Ranking
#8
Last Ranked Finish
#10 in 2020

Summary covers 1989 through 2025.

Season by Season

Showing 2016 to 2025 · 10 seasons

Higher bars mean a higher finish. NR = Not Ranked in the final Top 25, including teams receiving votes. Gold marks a school-recognized FBS / major-college national championship; an AP No. 1 finish alone is not treated as a championship.

View Every Final Ranking (1989–2025)
Northwestern · Final AP Football Rankings
YearFinal AP ResultSource
2025Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2024Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2023Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2022Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2021Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2020#10Source ↗
2019Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2018#21Source ↗
2017#17Source ↗
2016Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2015#23Source ↗
2014Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2013Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2012#17Source ↗
2011Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2010Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2009Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2008Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2007Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2006Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2005Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2004Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2003Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2002Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2001Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2000Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1999Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1998Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1997Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1996#15Source ↗
1995#8Source ↗
1994Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1993Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1992Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1991Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1990Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1989Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
Sources & References

Beyond the Ballot

Meet Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a private research university established in 1851. Its Evanston campus on Lake Michigan is home to the Wildcats; the university also has campuses in Chicago and Doha.

Location
Evanston, Illinois
University Type
Private · Research
Founded
1851
Undergraduate Enrollment
8,889Fall 2025 · Undergraduate students only
Nickname
Northwestern Wildcats
Football Conference
Big Ten ConferenceReviewed affiliation · 2026
Football Big Ten Championships
81903 · 1926 · 1930 · 1931 · 1936 · 1995 · 1996 · 2000
Sources & References
University Hall at Northwestern University
University Hall · 2008. Display images resized and converted to WebP.Photo: Madcoverboy at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Available AP Poll Analysis

These dated views describe specific poll editions and seasons; they are separate from school facts and championship history.

Football AP Poll Analysis

Existing Football ranking history and individual voter analysis.

SportFootball

2026 AP Football Poll

Northwestern · Week 5

Ranked in 0 of 6 published polls this season.

Latest poll:

Coverage: –

AP Result

NR

Still not ranked

Compared with Week 4

Voter Support

Of the 70 available ballots, 21 ranked Northwestern and 49 left the team unranked.

Ranked Northwestern
21
Left unranked
49
21 of 70 voters · 30%49 of 70 voters · 70%
Highest Vote
#17

Among ranked votes

Lowest Ranked Vote
#25

Among ranked votes

2026 Games & Scores

Full Schedule & Results →

Upcoming matchups and recent results, with game statistics and AP voter context.

Oct 1011:30 AM CDT
Ball State
Northwestern
Latest AP RanksView Game →
Oct 17Time TBD
Northwestern
Michigan State
FootballView Game →
Oct 2Final
Penn State13
Northwestern34
FOXView Game →
Sep 25Final
Northwestern23
#5 Indiana29
AP Ranks Before KickoffView Game →

2026 Season at a Glance

AP rank and voter agreement across available polls.

Poll
2026 · PreseasonNR00%0/69 Voters—
2026 · Week 1NR00%0/69 Voters—
2026 · Week 2NR00%0/68 Voters—
2026 · Week 3NR00%0/69 Voters—
2026 · Week 4NR11%1/70 Voters0.00
2026 · Week 5NR5930%21/70 Voters2.15

A Look at the Individual Votes

Week 5 · First 10 of 70 voters, sorted by highest vote. Open the weekly view for the complete list.

VoterVote
Brian Howell#17Voter Only
Rece Davis#20Voter Only
David Briggs#20Voter Only
Koki Riley#21Voter Only
Greg Luca#21Voter Only
Javon Edmonds#22Voter Only
Ralph Russo#23Voter Only
Adam Lichtenstein#24Voter Only
Trevor Hass#24Voter Only
Stephen Means#24Voter Only

View All 70 Voters for Week 5 →

Ballot Distribution

Every complete ballot for Northwestern.

Northwestern2.2

30% · 21 of 70 Voters
Average When Ranked: #23.19 · 49 Unranked

Ranked High #17 · Low #2549 / 70 Ballots
View Exact Distribution
Northwestern votes by rank, including zero counts
RankVoters
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
171
180
190
202
212
221
231
247
257
NR49