Northwestern Wildcats Make Announcement About 2025 Football Schedule

The 'Cats are getting closer to the start of the 2025 football season.

Sep 21, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun reacts to a goal line play against the Washington Huskies during the third quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Hype and excitement have been building during Northwestern's offseason. The Wildcats signed their largest transfer class in program history due to a rule change regarding the University's admissions process, allowing new additions to practice with the team earlier than they ever have before.

Among those transfers are quarterback Preston Stone, linebackers Yanni Karlaftis and Jack Sadowsky V, receiver Griffin Wilde and four massive offensive linemen. All of them, as well as the rest of NU's 13-man portal class, project to greatly improve a squad that finished 4-8 last season.

The 'Cats won't take the field in live-game action for another four months, but Northwestern received some early-season scheduling news on Thursday that will get Wildcat fans counting down the days until the 2025 opener. The Big Ten revealed its kickoff times and TV networks for the first three weeks of the season, a stretch in which NU plays a pair of very talented squads.

Northwestern begins the season in New Orleans against the Tulane Green Wave, which finished 9-5 in 2024 with trips to the American Athletic Conference Championship and the Gasparilla Bowl. It'll be the first matchup between the two schools since 1956, and the Green Wave have a 3-1 series advantage. The game is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on August 30, will be televised on ESPNU and could feature former Northwestern quarterback Brendan Sullivan under center for Tulane.

The Wildcats then head back to Evanston for their home opener at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. NU will have a short week, playing on Friday, September 5 at 6:30 p.m. CT, but the opposing Western Illinois may not offer much of a challenge on the lakefront. In FCS play last season, the Leathernecks finished 4-8. Big Ten Network will broadcast the game.

Northwestern then hosts Oregon in a Week 3 bout on September 13, although the 11 a.m. CT kickoff could lead to some difficulties for the West Coast Ducks. Oregon won the Big Ten last season after going undefeated in the regular season and earned the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, but lost a lot of key talent to the NFL Draft. Former Northwestern defensive back Theran Johnson transferred to the Ducks for his senior season in December.

As the only Big Ten vs. Big Ten matchup in the morning window, the Wildcats and Ducks will face off on national television, with the game set to air on FOX.