Head Coach David Braun Welcomes Northwestern's Brutal Big Ten Schedule

The Wildcats face a slew of ranked opponents this season.

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

The new, expanded Big Ten proved to be a major success for the top of the conference last season. Ohio State won the National Championship despite losing games to Oregon and Michigan. The Ducks entered the College Football Playoff undefeated as the No. 1 team in the country, while Penn State was just three points away from playing the Buckeyes in the title game. With Indiana also earning a trip to the CFP, the Big Ten's four berths out of the 12-team field led all FBS conferences.

In the league's middle tier, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, USC and Nebraska all won their respective bowl games, with three of those victories coming over SEC opponents. Iowa, Rutgers and Washington reached the postseason as well, bringing the conference's grand total to 12 bowl-eligible teams.

However, the 2024 college football season was a tough one for the Big Ten's bottom-feeders, who faced elite teams nearly every week in conference play. Northwestern, Maryland and Purdue combined to go just 3-24 in Big Ten games and face another daunting campaign in 2025.

Seven of Northwestern's 12 opponents this fall were either ranked or receiving votes in the Associated Press' Preseason Top 25 poll, giving the Wildcats the 18th-hardest strength of schedule in the nation, per ESPN. You won't hear head coach David Braun complaining about it, though.

Braun expressed his confidence about the upcoming season on Monday in an interview with NBC Chicago's Kacy Standohar. When asked about the difficult schedule the Wildcats are set to play this fall, Braun's message was simple: "Good. Bring on the competition."

"What a great opportunity for us to embrace that we don't want this to be easy," Braun said. "We know the new landscape in the Big Ten, that started last year with the addition of the West Coast teams, is the best conference in all of college football. We understand that there's going to be challenging road tests."

Northwestern is scheduled to host No. 7 Oregon at Martin Stadium and No. 14 Michigan at Wrigley Field this season, while the Wildcats will play No. 2 Penn State and No. 12 Illinois on the road. Opponents such as USC, Tulane, Minnesota and Nebraska could all be vying for a spot in the Top 25 throughout the season as well.

The 'Cats have +50000 odds to win the Big Ten, according to ESPN BET, which is tied with Purdue for the lowest in the conference. But being an underdog is not unusual for Northwestern, and Braun believes that the mindset will power the Wildcats to victory this season.

"I pride myself on being a worker and embracing that underdog mentality," Braun said. "The 'Cats are at their best when they're an underdog. The 'Cats are at their best when they've got a chip on their shoulder and I think this group continues to embrace that and embody that."

Northwestern kicks off its 2025 season at Tulane on Saturday, August 30.