Northwestern 41-7 Colorado (Sep 19, 2026) Final Score

Team pages: Colorado · Northwestern

Colorado2-17

Northwestern2-041Final

Sat, Sep 19 · Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium, Evanston, Ill. · Crowd 12,023

Northwestern routed Colorado 41-7.

We had Northwestern favored. It won.

Next: Colorado lost to Baylor 23-13, Sat Sep 26

Next: Northwestern lost to Indiana 29-23, Fri Sep 25

Top comment in the game thread

Himon is so fast. Get him in space (not like last 3 years)

Q3 6:27 · r/CFB game thread · Sat, Sep 19

How it swung

Before kickoff, our ratings gave Northwestern a 91% chance, and the closing betting line (Northwestern was a 3.5-point favorite) put it at 61%.

FinalNorthwestern 41-7 ColoradoNorthwestern wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.At the airport: 0.09 in of rain

The two plays that swung it

1Q1 4:58FumbleWelch run for a 1-yd loss, fumblesNorthwestern 60% → 73% (+13)
2Q1 0:43Chiles 1-yd TD run, Northwestern goes ahead 7-0Northwestern 70% → 81% (+11)

The two plays that swung it

1Q1 4:58FumbleWelch run for a 1-yd loss, fumblesColorado 40% → 27% (−13)
2Q1 0:43Chiles 1-yd TD run, Northwestern goes ahead 7-0Colorado 30% → 19% (−11)

What fans said, play by play

The line in bold above each quote is written by our model from the thread’s comments and the play-by-play.

Q2 8:36Colorado throws third turnover as Turner intercepts Lewis passThat's not the official clock /sr/CFB game thread
Q2 1:52Northwestern scores a touchdown to extend their lead to 21-0Northwestern now 3/3 on touchdowns when I open and walk through my back door. Happened twice on accident. This time I saw them snap the ball and made a move for the door. Makes…r/CFB game thread
Q3 13:07Komolafe fumbles, Colorado recovers after Northwestern leads 21-0Juju isn't seeing the field well, should've thrown another pick on that series toor/CFB game thread
Q3 6:27Chiles passes to Himon for a touchdown as fans praise his speedQuoted at the top of the page.I loooooove these play calls for himonr/CFB game thread
Q3 3:15Chiles passes to Himon II for touchdown as Northwestern extends lead to 35-7God I love himonr/CFB game thread
Q4 5:56Northwestern backup Marchiol rushes 19 yards as fans mock Colorado's contender statusI don’t think Marchiol is a mobile QB, so that was wild lolr/CFB game thread

Northwestern’s chance to win after every play.

How to read this chart

Starts from the pregame line (Northwestern -3.5), at 67% for Northwestern (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Under the scores, r/CFB comments per minute from fans with a Northwestern or Colorado flair (219 and 127); both sides share one scale, regulation only. A gold diamond marks a play fans were reacting to.

The blue strip under the chart is the weather at the airport. No rain on radar during play, heaviest in the fourth quarter. Measured at Palwaukee airport, 13 miles away. Full conditions below.

Watch the plays

The bar and the arrow show Northwestern’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.

Every drive

Northwestern scored on 7 of its 13 drives; Colorado on 1 of its 12.

Northwestern’s drives are teal, Colorado’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.

“Are we decent, or is CO bad?”

A Northwestern fan

How fans reacted

Steady

Fans had the most to say in the second quarter.

Jump to the loudest stretch

The jump was steady; the crowd was quiet.

What it cost

Northwestern’s chance to make the playoff rose from 4% to 7%.

Make the playoff

Colorado · lost2% → ▼0%

Northwestern · won4% → ▲7%

Win the conference

Colorado · lost1% → 1%

Northwestern · won1% → ▲4%

Before the game (September 18, 2026) → after this result, in our model.

Box score

Northwestern 41, Colorado 7

Northwestern covered −3.5 by 30.5. The total, 48, went over 47.5.

Team totals	Colorado	Northwestern
Total yards	348	423
Passing	19 of 29, 168 yds	17 of 22, 241 yds
Rushing	33 for 180 yds	51 for 182 yds
First downs	18	21
Third down	4 of 12	5 of 13
Fourth down	0 of 3	1 of 1
Turnovers	4	1
Penalties	9 for 80 yds	8 for 60 yds
Time of possession	23:07	36:53

Colorado leaders

Passing Julian Lewis 19 of 29, 168 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Jaquail Smith 8 for 91 yds; Dekalon Taylor 7 for 34 yds
Receiving Joseph Williams 5 for 88 yds, 1 TD; DeAndre Moore Jr. 7 for 56 yds

Northwestern leaders

Passing Aidan Chiles 17 of 22, 241 yds, 3 TD
Rushing Caleb Komolafe 11 for 49 yds; Gavin Sawchuk 12 for 48 yds
Receiving Griffin Wilde 5 for 85 yds; Joseph Himon II 3 for 46 yds, 3 TD

Rain for part of the game

66° at kickoff · no rain on radar during play · wind 2 mph from the east, gusts to 12

Drag along the chart, or step through the game.

Fourth quarter, 12:52 left9:18 p.m.

Colorado 7, Northwestern 38 · Northwestern 99% to win

rain 0.07 in per 10 minutes · wind 6 mph from the southeast · 66°

Lewis 13-yd pass to Moore

Measured at Palwaukee airport, 13 miles away. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University.

Before kickoff

Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.

Recent games

Last two games

Colorado · 2-0

Rated 163rd in our preseason ratings, 142nd now, up 21 spots.

Two straight wins, including a 1-point win over Georgia Tech as a 6.5-point underdog.

W 52-21 vs Weber State #227 of 668

won by 31 as a 38.5-point favorite

W 14-13 @ Georgia Tech #78 of 668

won by 1 as a 6.5-point underdog

Last three games · 2025 season

Northwestern · 7-6

Rated 14th in our preseason ratings, 11th now.

2-1 in its last three — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.

W 34-7 vs Central Michigan #112 of 667

won by 27 as a 13.5-point favorite

L 13-20 @ IllinoisTop 25 #50 of 667

lost by 7 as a 7.5-point underdog

W 38-35 vs Minnesota #87 of 667

won by 3 as a 4.5-point favorite

L 22-24 vs MichiganTop 25 #21 of 667

lost by 2 as a 10.5-point underdog

L 17-38 @ USCTop 25 #13 of 667

lost by 21 as a 14.5-point underdog

L 21-28 @ NebraskaTop 25 #44 of 667

lost by 7 as a 7.5-point underdog

W 19-0 vs Purdue #80 of 667

won by 19 as a 3.5-point favorite

W 22-21 @ Penn StateTop 25 #21 of 667

won by 1 as a 20.5-point underdog

W 42-7 vs UL Monroe #132 of 667

won by 35 as a 13.5-point favorite

W 17-14 vs UCLA #66 of 667

won by 3 as a 6.5-point favorite

L 14-34 vs OregonTop 25 #2 of 667

lost by 20 as a 24.5-point underdog

W 42-7 vs Western Illinois #232 of 667

won by 35 as a 30.5-point favorite

L 3-23 @ TulaneTop 25 #50 of 667

lost by 20 as a 6.5-point underdog

Week by week

Northwestern

Wk 1Wvs South Dakota State34-18

Colorado

Wk 1Wat Georgia Tech14-13
Wk 2Wvs Weber State52-21

Power rating by week

Northwestern is rated 13.8 points ahead as of week 2. Our power rating by week; higher is better.

Matchups

Biggest mismatch: Colorado’s explosive plays against Northwestern, 50 points

Each row ranks the two sides among all teams. The longer the line, the bigger the mismatch.

Colorado’s explosive plays against Northwestern’s defense
Colorado offense, 37th percentile · Northwestern defense, 87th
Colorado’s EPA/play against Northwestern’s defense
Colorado offense, 12th percentile · Northwestern defense, 58th
Colorado’s passing EPA against Northwestern’s defense
Colorado offense, 21st percentile · Northwestern defense, 71st

Season profile, all the rows

Season profile

ColoradoNorthwestern

EPA/play, offense

EPA/play, defense

Success rate, offense

Success rate, defense

Explosive-play rate, offense

Explosive-play rate, defense

Rush EPA, offense

Rush EPA, defense

Pass EPA, offense

Pass EPA, defense

The series

The series is tied 1-1

2 meetings since 1951 · Colorado won the last meeting

1978Colorado 55-7
1951Northwestern 35-14

Line, fans and home field

The betting line, and the fans

Northwestern fans are feeling it more than most fanbases this week (89th among FBS fanbases), in line with the numbers.

Northwestern favored by 3.5 · Total 47.5

How games like this usually go

Northwestern by 3.5, and it went to form

Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game

The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 377 games since 2025 with a favorite of 3.5 to 7.5 points.

The market

The spread moved 1 point toward Colorado.

The total rose 2 points.

The books’ cut: 4.5%, the margin built into the odds

Weather at kickoff

Mild, with rain. Feels like 68° at kickoff.

Colorado at Northwestern · Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 · Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium, Evanston

68°feels like at kickoff
0.09 inrain at kickoff
91weather score, Comfortable
Tiedfor the roughest of the day's 8 kickoff times

At kickoff, Sept. 19, 2026.

Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better, for the first 3 hours and 20 minutes of the game. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.

Kickoff times that Saturday

Games in this time zone used 8 kickoff times that day, local time (kickoffs within 30 minutes of each other count as one). This game, ringed, was tied for the roughest of the day's eight kickoff times. At Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium that day, a 11 am or 11:45 am kickoff would have scored 100, against 91 at 6:30 pm.

The roughest kickoff time is the lowest of the day's times. It can still be Mixed or Comfortable.

11 am: 100, Ideal
11:45 am: 100, Ideal
1 pm: 97, Comfortable
2:30 pm: 98, Comfortable
3:30 pm: 97, Comfortable
6 pm: 98, Comfortable
6:30 pm: 91, Comfortable (this game)
7 pm: 91, Comfortable

Weather score at each kickoff time.

Tap a dot to read that kickoff time.

At kickoff, Sept. 19, 2026. Wind is not drawn here; gusts are in each score.

Home field

Northwestern is worth +5.3 points (±4.3) more at home than on the road since 2018 — top third of FBS, 71st percentile.

52% at home, 35% on the road against FBS opponents (21-19 home, 14-26 away).

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads +0.9 at home vs. away over 85 games — inside the ±6.8 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.

Night kickoff — historically worth about half a point more to the home side against the number, and not much more than that. The visitors travel about 926 miles to get here.

Northwestern routs Colorado 41-7