Wk 12 · 2026
Northwestern Wildcats at Minnesota Golden Gophers — Sat, Nov 21
Sat, Nov 21 ·
Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
Weather
No forecast yet. This one is 40 days away and has no kickoff time yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
Big Ten · 4-1
at
TBDET
no line posted yet
Ratings differential NU by 8.5
Big Ten · 4-2
What is at stake
A Big Ten game — it counts in the standings that decide that league's championship game. Run the race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
Northwestern form
W 45-14vs BALLW 34-13vs PSUL 23-29at IUW 41-7vs COLOW 34-18vs SDST
2026 season
Minnesota form
L 13-41at PURW 20-14vs MICHW 27-24at WASHW 41-7vs AKRL 13-38vs MSST
2026 season
Northwestern this season
Straight up4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Against the spread4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Over / under5-0 · 100% (5 games)
Minnesota this season
Straight up4-2 · 67% (6 games)
Against the spread4-2 · 67% (6 games)
Over / under3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 3
| Opponent | Northwestern | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana Big Ten | at L 23-29 preview | at Wk 9 · scheduled preview |
| Penn State Big Ten | vs W 34-13 preview | at Wk 11 · scheduled preview |
| Iowa Big Ten | vs Wk 10 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 8 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Northwestern leads 10–7 · Northwestern has won the last 2
17 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
0.3 points toward Northwestern
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2025-11-22 | Minnesota 35 — 38 Northwestern | at NU | Northwestern |
| 2023 | 2023-09-23 | Minnesota 34 — 37 Northwestern | at NU | Northwestern |
| 2022 | 2022-11-12 | Northwestern 3 — 31 Minnesota | at MINN | Minnesota |
| 2021 | 2021-10-30 | Minnesota 41 — 14 Northwestern | at NU | Minnesota |
| 2019 | 2019-11-23 | Minnesota 38 — 22 Northwestern | at NU | Minnesota |
| 2018 | 2018-11-17 | Northwestern 24 — 14 Minnesota | at MINN | Northwestern |
| 2017 | 2017-11-18 | Minnesota 0 — 39 Northwestern | at NU | Northwestern |
| 2016 | 2016-11-19 | Northwestern 12 — 29 Minnesota | at MINN | Minnesota |
| 2015 | 2015-10-03 | Minnesota 0 — 27 Northwestern | at NU | Northwestern |
| 2014 | 2014-10-11 | Northwestern 17 — 24 Minnesota | at MINN | Minnesota |
| 2013 | 2013-10-19 | Minnesota 20 — 17 Northwestern | at NU | Minnesota |
| 2012 | 2012-10-13 | Northwestern 21 — 13 Minnesota | at MINN | Northwestern |
| 2011 | 2011-11-19 | Minnesota 13 — 28 Northwestern | at NU | Northwestern |
| 2010 | 2010-10-02 | Northwestern 29 — 28 Minnesota | at MINN | Northwestern |
| 2009 | 2009-09-26 | Minnesota 35 — 24 Northwestern | at NU | Minnesota |
| 2008 | 2008-11-01 | Northwestern 24 — 17 Minnesota | at MINN | Northwestern |
| 2007 | 2007-10-13 | Minnesota 48 — 49 Northwestern | at NU | Northwestern |
Northwestern leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Aidan Chiles QB #0 | 63/89, 900 YDS, 6 TD |
| Rushing | Caleb Komolafe RB #5 | 52 CAR, 290 YDS, 2 TD |
| Joseph Himon II RB #6 | 20 CAR, 277 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Gavin Sawchuk RB #27 | 33 CAR, 170 YDS | |
| Receiving | Griffin Wilde WR #17 | 16 REC, 281 YDS, 2 TD |
| Luke Dehnicke TE #84 | 11 REC, 208 YDS | |
| Alex Honig TE #86 | 7 REC, 97 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Drew Wagner WR #19 | 12 REC, 97 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Robert Fitzgerald DB #6 | 42 |
| Kobie McKinzie LB #2 | 32 | |
| Braydon Brus LB #33 | 30 | |
| Sacks | Braydon Brus LB #33 | 3 |
| Kobie McKinzie LB #2 | 1 | |
| Jamaal Johnson DL #24 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Ore Adeyi DB #7 | 1 |
| Robert Fitzgerald DB #6 | 1 | |
| Braydon Brus LB #33 | 1 |
Minnesota leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Drake Lindsey QB #5 | 105/157, 1087 YDS, 8 TD, 4 INT |
| Max Shikenjanski QB #6 | 3/3, 50 YDS | |
| Rushing | TJ Thomas RB #23 | 46 CAR, 307 YDS, 1 TD |
| Darius Taylor RB #1 | 57 CAR, 139 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Xavier Ford RB #9 | 17 CAR, 82 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Noah Jennings WR #13 | 26 REC, 345 YDS, 1 TD |
| Javon Tracy WR #11 | 27 REC, 300 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Jalen Smith WR #8 | 12 REC, 121 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Darius Taylor RB #1 | 11 REC, 104 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Maverick Baranowski LB #6 | 34 |
| Kerry Brown DB #14 | 25 | |
| Zack Harden DB #4 | 25 | |
| Sacks | TJ Bush Jr. DL #3 | 4 |
| Karter Menz DL #11 | 3 | |
| Anthony Smith DL #0 | 1.5 | |
| Interceptions | Maverick Baranowski LB #6 | 1 |
| John Nestor DB #17 | 1 | |
| Zack Harden DB #4 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.