Northwestern: 2026 Week 11 recap

Northwestern sits at No. 20 after a 26-34 road loss to Oregon in Week 9, a result that left the Wildcats' rating unchanged at 13.7. The 6-2 record masks deeper offensive struggles: a red-zone TD rate of just 8% explains why close games slip away, and third-down conversion at 44% hasn't generated enough momentum to climb. GIE projects 8.0 expected wins for the season, suggesting the schedule ahead remains a grind. This week brings Iowa to Evanston—a winnable home game that Northwestern needs to prove the offense can execute in high-leverage situations, where late-game performance (5.02 leverage index) has been a relative bright spot.