Northwestern 42-14 Rutgers (Oct 24, 2026) Final Score

Team pages: Rutgers · Northwestern

Rutgers2-514

No. 24 Northwestern6-142Final

Sat, Oct 24 · Ryan Field, Evanston, Ill. · Crowd 27,156

No. 24 Northwestern routed Rutgers 42-14.

We had Northwestern favored. It won.

Next: Rutgers vs Michigan, Sat Oct 31 · 12:30 PM ET · Rutgers underdog by 14

Next: Northwestern at Oregon, Sat Oct 31 · 3:30 PM ET · Northwestern underdog by 3.5

i’ve seen enough chiles for heisman

A Northwestern fan

How it swung

Before kickoff, our ratings gave Northwestern a 91% chance, and the closing betting line (Northwestern was a 15.5-point favorite) put it at 89%.

FinalNorthwestern 42-14 RutgersNorthwestern wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.

No single play moved the chance by 20 points.

My biggest concern about Chiles is that he is too tall, too strong and has too much aura. The voters are intimidated by him and that’s why we’re only #24

Q2 14:21 · r/CFB game thread

What fans said, play by play

The line in bold above each quote is written by our model from the thread’s comments and the play-by-play.

Q1 8:35Rutgers Lonergan suffers a scary head injury after diving forwardHope he's okr/CFB game thread
Q1 1:24Northwestern scores on Honig touchdown to lead 21-3For you German speakers, our TE is sweet as Honigr/CFB game thread
Q2 14:21Chiles connects with Wilde for a 26-yard gain to the Rutgers 45

Northwestern’s chance to win after every play.

How to read this chart

Starts from the pregame line (Northwestern -15.5), at 89% for Northwestern (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Under the scores, r/CFB comments per minute from fans with a Northwestern or Rutgers flair (182 and 48); both sides share one scale, regulation only.

Watch the plays

The bar and the arrow show Northwestern’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.

Every drive

Northwestern scored on 6 of its 11 drives; Rutgers on 3 of its 11.

Northwestern’s drives are teal, Rutgers’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.

How fans reacted

Steady

The biggest reaction came in the first quarter.

Jump to the loudest stretch

The jump was steady; the crowd was quiet.

What it cost

Northwestern’s chance to make the playoff rose from 11% to 12%.

Make the playoff

Rutgers · lost0% → 0%

Northwestern · won11% → ▲12%

Before the game (October 23, 2026) → after this result alone, in our model. Other games that weekend move it too, so the team page may differ.

Northwestern plays at Oregon on Sat Oct 31 with a 12% chance to make the playoff.

Box score

Northwestern 42, Rutgers 14

Northwestern covered −15.5 by 12.5. The total, 56, stayed under 58.5.

Team totals	Rutgers	Northwestern
Total yards	344	502
Passing	9 of 27, 100 yds	19 of 25, 219 yds
Rushing	39 for 244 yds	41 for 283 yds
First downs	18	26
Third down	6 of 16	9 of 13
Fourth down	2 of 5	0 of 0
Turnovers	3	1
Penalties	4 for 35 yds	6 for 50 yds
Time of possession	26:45	33:15

Rutgers leaders

Passing AJ Surace 7 of 18, 64 yds, 1 INT
Rushing Antwan Raymond 18 for 150 yds, 1 TD; Clay Thevenin 14 for 116 yds
Receiving KJ Duff 3 for 33 yds; Antwan Raymond 2 for 27 yds

Northwestern leaders

Passing Aidan Chiles 19 of 25, 219 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Caleb Komolafe 13 for 150 yds, 1 TD; Aidan Chiles 12 for 83 yds, 2 TD
Receiving Griffin Wilde 9 for 133 yds, 1 TD; Drew Wagner 5 for 42 yds, 1 TD

No rain and calm

60° at kickoff · no rain recorded · wind 8 mph from the south, gusts to 18

The usual here around this date is 54°, with about 7 in 10 games between 45° and 68°.

Game-day temperatures at Ryan Field

Drag along the chart, or step through the game.

First quarter, 14:52 left11:08 a.m.

Rutgers 0, Northwestern 0 · Northwestern 89% to win

no rain · wind 5 mph from the south · 61°

Chiles incomplete to Wilde

Where this weather comes from

Measured at Palwaukee airport, 12 miles away, and Chicago Ohare airport, 14 miles away. Wind and rain are airport readings near the stadium, not on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet.

Before kickoff

Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.

Recent games

Last three games

Rutgers · 2-4

Rated 68th in our preseason ratings, 91st now, down 23 spots.

2-1 in its last three, capped by a 7-point win over Maryland as a 5.5-point underdog.

W 37-30 @ Maryland No. 101 of 668 teams

won by 7 as a 5.5-point underdog

L 15-47 vs IndianaTop 25 No. 6 of 668 teams

lost by 32 as a 24.5-point underdog

W 58-7 vs Howard No. 225 of 668 teams

won by 51 as a 42.5-point favorite

L 35-42 vs USCTop 25 No. 29 of 668 teams

lost by 7 as a 21-point underdog

L 21-28 @ Boston College No. 136 of 668 teams

lost by 7 as a 3-point underdog

L 21-37 vs Massachusetts No. 244 of 668 teams

lost by 16 as a 29.5-point favorite

Last three games

Northwestern · 5-1

Rated 14th in our preseason ratings, 16th now.

Three straight wins, including a 21-point win over Penn State as a 3-point underdog.

W 24-21 @ Michigan State No. 124 of 668 teams

won by 3 as a 7.5-point favorite

W 45-14 vs Ball State No. 166 of 668 teams

won by 31 as a 34.5-point favorite

W 34-13 vs Penn StateTop 25 No. 36 of 668 teams

won by 21 as a 3-point underdog

L 23-29 @ IndianaTop 25 No. 6 of 668 teams

lost by 6 as a 20.5-point underdog

W 41-7 vs Colorado No. 126 of 668 teams

won by 34 as a 3.5-point favorite

W 34-18 vs South Dakota State No. 104 of 668 teams

won by 16 as a 14-point favorite

Week by week

Northwestern

Wk 3Wvs Colorado41-7
Wk 4Lat Indiana23-29
Wk 5Wvs Penn State34-13
Wk 6Wvs Ball State45-14
Wk 7Wat Michigan State24-21

Rutgers

Wk 2Lat Boston College21-28
Wk 3Lvs USC35-42
Wk 4Wvs Howard58-7
Wk 5Lvs Indiana15-47
Wk 7Wat Maryland37-30

Power rating by week

Northwestern is rated 10.1 points ahead as of week 7. Our power rating by week; higher is better.

Matchups

Biggest mismatch: Northwestern’s rushing EPA against Rutgers, 90 points

Each row ranks the two sides among all teams. The longer the line, the bigger the mismatch.

Northwestern’s EPA/play against Rutgers’s defense
Northwestern offense, 95th percentile · Rutgers defense, 9th
Northwestern’s rushing EPA against Rutgers’s defense
Northwestern offense, 93rd percentile · Rutgers defense, 3rd
Northwestern’s explosive plays against Rutgers’s defense
Northwestern offense, 86th percentile · Rutgers defense, 26th

Season profile, all the rows

Season profile

RutgersNorthwestern

EPA/play, offense

EPA/play, defense

Success rate, offense

Success rate, defense

Explosive-play rate, offense

Explosive-play rate, defense

Rush EPA, offense

Rush EPA, defense

Pass EPA, offense

Pass EPA, defense

The series

Rutgers leads the series 4-2

6 meetings since 1919 · Rutgers won the last meeting

2023Rutgers 24-7
2021Northwestern 21-7
2018Northwestern 18-15
1991Rutgers 22-18
1989Rutgers 38-27

Each line is Northwestern’s chance to win through that meeting. Older meetings have no play by play, so no line.

Line, fans and home field

The betting line, and the fans

Northwestern fans are feeling it about like the typical fanbase this week (53rd percentile among FBS fanbases), in line with the numbers.

Northwestern favored by 15.5 · Total 58.5

How games like this usually go

Northwestern by 15.5, and it went to form

Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game

The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 263 games since 2025 with a favorite of 14.5 to 21.5 points.

The market

The spread moved 1 point toward Rutgers.

The books’ cut: 4.2%, the margin built into the odds

Home field

Northwestern is worth +5.6 points (±4.2) more at home than on the road since 2018 — top third of FBS, 74th percentile.

54% at home, 35% on the road against FBS opponents (22-19 home, 14-26 away).

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads +1.2 at home vs. away over 86 games — inside the ±6.8 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.

The visitors travel about 694 miles to get here.

Where next

Conference standings

Going into this game: place in the conference, then conference record.

Northwestern8th2-1
Rutgers12th1-2

Full Big Ten standings

No. 24 Northwestern routs Rutgers 42-14