Ohio State 2026 opponent breakdown: Week 11, Northwestern

The Wildcats will come to Columbus in November with a familiar face running their offense -- former Ohio State OC Chip Kelly.

New Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly (right) was hired by Wildcats head coach David Braun (left) in January. (Photo courtesy of Northwestern athletics)

COLUMBUS — Chip Kelly, Buckeye legend and Northwestern savior?

Too much?

Just wait until we get to Week 11 of the season for this game, when Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly arrives at Ohio Stadium to face his protege, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day.

Formerly the offensive coordinator (Kelly) and quarterback (Day) at the University of New Hampshire, it was a pretty big deal when they flipped roles, and Kelly worked for Day in Ohio State’s 2024 national title season. Now they’ll go against each other.

Previous schedule breakdowns

Week 1: Ball State

Week 2: Texas

Week 3: Kent State

Week 4: Illinois

Week 5: Iowa

Week 6: Maryland

Week 7: Indiana

Week 8: Off

Week 9: USC

Week 10: Oregon

Northwestern Wildcats

Ohio State opponent No. 10

Nov. 14, time TBA, at Ohio Stadium

2025 stats

• 51 out of 136 teams in final SP+ ratings (No. 92 offense, No. 30 defense)

• 45 in FEI ratings (No. 58 offense, No. 43 defense)

• 53 in adjusted EPA/play (No. 57 offense, No. 48 defense)

• Scored 23.4 ppg (No. 98), allowed 19.8 ppg (No. 23)

Trey Sermon (flying) ran for 331 yards in the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game to lead Ohio State over Northwestern. (Photo courtesy of Ohio State)

History vs. Buckeyes

Remember when Ohio State and Northwestern met twice in three seasons in the Big Ten Championship? Sorry, but we don’t miss you, Big Ten West. The Buckeyes won those matchups 45-24 in 2018 and 22-10 in 2020. They are part of Ohio State’s 11-game winning streak in the series dating back to the Wildcats’ victory in Evanston in 2004. That ended a 24-game OSU winning streak.

So it’s 35 of the last 36 for the Buckeyes, who lead the series 66-14-1 all-time.

Let’s throw in a little future to go with the history, as RJ Day, the quarterback son of the OSU head coach, is committed to Northwestern. The Buckeyes will visit Northwestern and its new stadium in 2027, when RJ is a freshman, and won’t play the Wildcats in 2028, when he’ll be a sophomore. The Big Ten schedules for 2029 and beyond haven’t been finalized.

So we’ll have to see about Day vs. Day.

Head coach

David Braun, like Ryan Day, was never a head coach before being elevated to take over a Big Ten program. Hired in January 2023 as the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator, he became interim coach in July 2023 after Pat Fitzgerald was fired over hazing allegations. (Fitzgerald later settled a lawsuit with Northwestern, as the school said the coach didn’t condone or direct any hazing. He’s now in his first season leading Michigan State.)

Thrown in cold, Braun went 8-5 in Year 1 to earn the full-time job and had the interim tag removed. He followed that up with 4-8 and 7-6, including a bowl game win over Central Michigan last season.

That leaves him at 19-19 after three seasons. Fitzgerald, in his first three seasons from 2006-08, was 19-18.

Returning starters