Sitting at the podium in Detroit last winter, David Braun had a powerful message following his Wildcats’ bowl victory over Central Michigan.
That message was simple: a desire to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoffs. And the Northwestern coach reiterated that sentiment last month during his appearance at Big Ten Football Media Days in Chicago.
“Big Ten Championship; why not us?,” Braun said on stage. “Host a College Football Playoff game at New Ryan Field; why not us? Aspire to chase down a National Championship; why not us?”
Leadership, Talent and Timing
One can argue that Northwestern has made moves to put themselves into contention for a playoff spot, even if as a dark horse. Rumors were flying way back in December after the bowl win about a big change coming to the offense. Days later, it was announced that Chip Kelly had been named the new offensive coordinator. Then during the portal window, Northwestern recruited former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles and built an offense around him and Kelly.
Braun said he believes in Northwestern’s ability for three reasons: leadership, talent and timing. From the leadership at Northwestern University in the form of support from new president Mung Chiang and athletics director Mark Jackson, to the coaching and player talent, culminating into it all coming together right now.
One of the big things to watch this year is how much of an impact Kelly has on the new-look offense.
“Coach Kelly is a mastermind, so it’s been really awesome to get tips from him and a better understanding of the game,” said running back Caleb Komolafe. “Really try to pick his brain to understand and be the best player that I can be. Just understanding pre-snap looks and how defenses may give you a base look or how they’ll try to manipulate you. So those things that Chip Kelly is helping us understand is really going to be a big help in our game.”
Wide receiver Griffin Wilde expressed similar sentiments on Kelly, calling him “one of the smartest minds in football.”
“So learning from that guy and understanding the scheme of the offense and what we need to do and what we need to accomplish to be successful has been truly special,” Wilde said.
Northwestern receiver Griffin Wilde speaks to the media in Chicago in July. (Tre Williams/TPM)
Iron Sharpens Iron
Northwestern is anchored defensively by defensive back Robert Fitzgerald, who also expressed how the hiring of Kelly has impacted both his own growth but that of the defense as a whole.
“Yeah, I mean, I think going against our offense and Chip Kelly and his system is so, so beneficial to our defense,” he said. “We’ve seen so many different looks, so many different personnel groups and formations and motions that we may only see once or twice a year.”
That feeling was shared by Wilde.
“Our defense is going to disguise stuff,” he said. “They’re going to rotate to different styles of defense. They’re going to play you differently. Each player is told to maybe sometimes switch it up, change up the style of play you’re doing.
“And then for us on offense, just to be in every different type of personnel possible, to shift, trade, motion, move around. Like, they’re going to see looks that they might not even see in the season from our offense. So just to have that on both sides of the ball, it’s just iron sharpens iron.”
Putting it all together
Now is the time for it all to come together for the Wildcats. The 2026 season begins Saturday against South Dakota State, one of the top FCS programs and a good trial run for a new-look offense. Northwestern should be expected to win, but to show they’re serious, it must be a near-flawless performance at the Lakefront.
A loss would put a stop to the “Why not us?” chatter almost immediately. And there’s a pair of good reasons to be cautious when looking at the season.
First, Chiles was brought in to elevate the quarterback room, but he has had a few rough years himself. He finished the 2025 campaign at Michigan State going 128-of-203 for 1,392 with 10 touchdowns and three picks. He had an additional six scores on the ground.
In 2024, Chiles finished 192-of-323 for 2,415 yards but had just 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Still, Braun is optimistic about Chiles arrival in Evanston.
“I ultimately had a chance to watch Aidan in his time at Oregon State and obviously track on him the last couple years at Michigan State,” Braun said last month. “Very talented young man. Got on campus, starting to really understand his passion for the game of football. And ultimately the relationship between coach Kelly and Aidan, Coach (Jerry) Neuheisel and Aidan that stems back to his high school days, there being a personal connection there, I think made all of us, including Aidan, really confident that this was the right partnership.”
The other reason to be cautious is the schedule itself.
South Dakota State represents a tough opponent and while Northwestern should win, it’s not guaranteed.
The Wildcats have to travel to Indiana on a Friday (9/25) and then host Penn State in the New Ryan Field debut a week later (10/2). They travel to Oregon and Ohio State later in the season, and host Illinois in the regular season finale. And another wrinkle is the road trip to East Lansing to face the Spartans, now led by Northwestern legend and former coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Northwestern could go 4-8 on the year, 6-6, 8-4, and at best, 10-2. There’s a lot of unknowns before the 7pm kickoff on Saturday.
One thing that the Wildcats have that is now rare in college football is continuity.
“Something that we talk about regularly, it’s harder than ever to protect culture, to protect true brotherhood, true purpose-driven program where guys are playing for something bigger than themselves,” Braun said when making his closing remarks in Chicago in July. “That’s challenging in college football right now. But to have
the retention, to have the continuity, to have the relationships and then have transfers come in and say, my gosh, this place is special, this group of guys is special, ultimately that’s how you win in the fourth quarter in the Big Ten, with a bunch of guys that are going to battle for one another.
“Retention has been a hallmark of this program. It needs to continue to be for years to come.”
