David Braun Gets Honest About Gap Between Northwestern, Ohio State

The Wildcats' head coach is expecting his team to make a large leap this fall.

Jul 23, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Northwestern head coach David Braun speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Midway through the second quarter on November 16, 2024, Northwestern led Ohio State by a touchdown at Wrigley Field. The eventual National Champions went on to score 31 consecutive points in a resounding victory.

The game provided an opportunity for Wildcats head coach David Braun to observe the Buckeyes up close. Now entering his third season at the helm, Braun isn't just eyeing a bounce-back campaign from last year's 4-8 record. He's looking at Ohio State, asking "why not?" about the direction of Northwestern's program.

"I believe that is the best team in college football," Braun said of the Buckeyes during Wednesday's Big Ten Media Day. "That's what we're chasing. But if we're not willing to evaluate everything that we're doing to chase that down, shame on us. We don't have to do it like Ohio State. We don't have to do it like Oregon. We don't have to do it like Michigan. We have to do it the Northwestern way, but what are the levers that we can really tug on and leverage to close that gap?"

Northwestern's football program has undergone significant changes behind the scenes this offseason. Amid the House vs. NCAA settlement and increasing NIL demands, NU hired former Cincinnati Bengals scout Christian Sarkisian as the athletic department's general manager. Braun referred to the series of changes as a "dramatic restructuring," where Northwestern has streamlined its communication processes and reinvented the way it operates.

Braun has also made changes on the field, transforming the team's leadership structure and emphasizing excellence in all facets of the game. After internally reflecting throughout the offseason, Braun has set goals for Northwestern to win the Big Ten Championship and make the College Football Playoff, rather than to merely be competitive in the conference.

"Ultimately, as a leader of the program, what an incredible opportunity for me this offseason after a 4-8 season to say, 'This isn't personal to anyone in the room, but we have to evaluate everything,'" Braun continued. "We can control our processes and our standards. The way that this program is operating today compared to a year ago is night and day."

The game against Ohio State gave Braun his first look at a championship-level FBS team. He'll have several more opportunities to see how Northwestern stacks up this fall, as the Wildcats are scheduled to face CFP contenders Oregon, Penn State, Michigan and Illinois in conference play.