Predicting the final score between Michigan football vs. Northwestern

After getting last week off in hopes of getting healthy, Michigan is back in action this weekend following its second bye week. The Wolverines will head to historic Wrigley Field to take on Northwestern.

The Wolverines have dominated the series with the 'Cats, but Northwestern is a better team than its record might indicate. Northwestern is a scrappy bunch that could play Michigan tightly if the Wolverines are as errant as they were in their last game against Purdue.

Here is how our staff sees the game going on Saturday.

Trent Knoop

Both teams are playing for something on Saturday. Michigan can't afford another loss if it hopes to compete for a College Football Playoff appearance, whereas the 'Cats want a big statement win and to get to bowl eligibility.

Northwestern will likely play Michigan tight in the first half. But if the Wolverines take care of the football and play solid defense, the 'Cats don't have enough talent to stay with Michigan. I think Jordan Marshall has another big game, and Bryce Underwood has a respectable game on Saturday.

QB Preston Stone is prone to making big mistakes and Michigan has been taking advantage of QBs who make bad decisions. I look for the Wolverines to pick Stone off at least one time on Saturday and leave Wrigley Field with a win.

Final score: Michigan 27, Northwestern 13

Seth Berry

Michigan RB Jordan Marshall — Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Northwestern has had period where it has played a very quality brand of football this season. The Wildcats secured a big upset win earlier in the season at Penn State, and even in their four losses have been mostly competitive. However, I think Michigan's advantage up front plays dividends in this one and causes the Wildcats to were down. Plus, Northwestern has been prone to giving the ball away, and I think the Wolverines come up with a couple of takeaways to help them pull away.

Final score: Michigan 28, Northwestern 17

Lucas Reimink

Don’t let their record fool you, Northwestern is a sneaky good team.They’re only 5-4 overall but are 3-3 in Big Ten play and have played common opponents as Michigan just as well as Michigan has in the last month.

Michigan is the more talented team but so far Northwestern has been better at the fundamentals and that will make this game a challenge for the Wolverines if they didn’t sufficiently fix their issues during the bye week.

I think Michigan is kind of just who they are at this point and that’ll make this game closer than it needs to be, I got the Wolverines barely up or tied going into the 4th quarter before they end up winning.

Final score: Michigan 24, Northwestern 14

Justice Steiner

Michigan QBs running out of the tunnel — Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

At this point, I think Michigan is a really hard team to predict. Last time out, they should’ve beaten Purdue by more than five points. Just based on the eye test, the Wolverines have not looked great the last two weeks they've taken the field. Northwestern does a decent job of keeping teams out of the endzone, only allowing 19.1 points per game, the sixth best in the conference and 21st in the nation. Michigan will pull this out, but I don’t necessarily see them running away with it.

Final score: Michigan 24, Northwestern 10

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Published Nov 14, 2025

TRENT KNOOP

Trent began writing and covering Michigan athletics back in 2020. He became a credentialed member of the media in 2021. Trent began writing with Sports Illustrated in 2023 and became the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI during the 2025 football season. Trent also serves as the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI. His other bylines have appeared on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

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JUSTICE STEINER

A Battle Creek, Mich. native, Justice Steiner has been passionately involved in sports, currently as the sports information director at Davenport University, an NCAA Division II program, where he covers 12 sports. He also serves as the creative services director for the men's and women's baseball teams. Prior to DU, Steiner worked as a graduate assistant in the sports information office at the University of Louisville, working closely with the women's soccer, women's basketball, men's tennis and softball programs. While at Grand Valley State University, Steiner began his writing career at the Grand Valley Lanthorn. He graduated from GVSU with a degree in advertising and public relations.

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LUCAS REIMINK

Lucas is a University of Michigan Alumni who has worked as a sports scouting and video analyst, including covering Michigan football for the past three seasons.

SETH BERRY

Seth began writing on Michigan athletics in 2015 and has remained in the U-M media space ever since, which includes stops at Maize N Brew and Rivals before coming onto Michigan On SI in June of 2025. Seth has covered various angles of Michigan football and basketball, including recruiting, overall team coverage and feature/analysis stories relating to the Wolverines. His passion for Michigan sports and desire to tell stories led him to the sports journalism world. He is a 2020 graduate of Western Michigan University and is the former sports editor of the Western Herald, WMU's student newspaper.

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