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Wk 1 · 2026

South Dakota State Jackrabbits at Northwestern Wildcats — Sat, Sep 5

Sat, Sep 5 · Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, Evanston, IL · BTN FINAL

Weather

No forecast 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.
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
FCS / Other · 0-1
18
at
8:00pET
NU -14 · total 49.5 DraftKings opened -12.5 · 1.5 toward NU
No ratings differential: S Dakota St is not in the ratings file.
Big Ten · 4-1
34

What is at stake

A non-conference game. It moves both overall records but neither conference 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

S Dakota St: no data
Efficiency margin
Northwestern: +13.7#20
S Dakota St: no data
Offense (pts/100)
Northwestern: 37.8
S Dakota St: no data
Defense (pts/100)
Northwestern: 15.1
S Dakota St: no data
Pace (plays/g)
Northwestern: 61.8
S Dakota St: no data
Yards / play
Northwestern: 7.08
S Dakota St: no data
Yards / play allowed
Northwestern: 5.29
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

S Dakota St: 18.0
Points / game
Northwestern: 35.4
S Dakota St: 34.0
Points allowed
Northwestern: 16.2
S Dakota St: 432
Yards / game
Northwestern: 437
S Dakota St: no data
Yards allowed
Northwestern: 381
S Dakota St: no data
Pass yds allowed
Northwestern: 233
S Dakota St: no data
Rush yds allowed
Northwestern: 147
S Dakota St: 1.00
Turnovers / game
Northwestern: 0.40
From completed 2026 box scores; defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.

S Dakota St form

L 18-34at NU
2026 season

Northwestern form

W 45-14vs BALLW 34-13vs PSUL 23-29at IUW 41-7vs COLOW 34-18vs SDST
2026 season

S Dakota St this season

Straight up0-1 · 0% (1 games)
Against the spread0-1 · 0% (1 games)
Over / under1-0 · 100% (1 games)

Northwestern this season

Straight up4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Against the spread4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Over / under5-0 · 100% (5 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 · 0

These teams share no opponents on the 2026 schedule.
Open these two in the comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.

Series history · 2006–2026

Since 2006, Northwestern leads 1–0 · Northwestern won the last one
1 meeting in 2006–2026 · average margin 16.0 points toward Northwestern
Yr DateResultSiteWon
20262026-09-05S Dakota St 18 — 34 Northwesternat NUNorthwestern

S Dakota St leaders

No tracked players for this team.
From this site’s tracked-player feed; ESPN published no season leaders for this team.
No roster page: this site tracks the 138 FBS teams.

Northwestern leaders 2026 regular season

PassingAidan Chiles QB #063/89, 900 YDS, 6 TD
RushingCaleb Komolafe RB #552 CAR, 290 YDS, 2 TD
Joseph Himon II RB #620 CAR, 277 YDS, 3 TD
Gavin Sawchuk RB #2733 CAR, 170 YDS
ReceivingGriffin Wilde WR #1716 REC, 281 YDS, 2 TD
Luke Dehnicke TE #8411 REC, 208 YDS
Alex Honig TE #867 REC, 97 YDS, 1 TD
Drew Wagner WR #1912 REC, 97 YDS
Defense
TacklesRobert Fitzgerald DB #642
Kobie McKinzie LB #232
Braydon Brus LB #3330
SacksBraydon Brus LB #333
Kobie McKinzie LB #21
Jamaal Johnson DL #241
InterceptionsOre Adeyi DB #71
Robert Fitzgerald DB #61
Braydon Brus LB #331
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.