Big Ten Matchups

Northwestern vs Bowling Green

Northwestern Wildcats vs Bowling Green Falcons

Who wins Northwestern vs Bowling Green?

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Head-to-head on record

Northwestern vs Bowling Green series
TeamWinsSeries
Northwestern Wildcats1Bowling Green leads
Bowling Green Falcons2

Meetings since 2001: 3. Source: CollegeFootballData game log.

The series in numbers

1-1 Regular season
0-1 Postseason
1-2 Last 3
38-26 Avg score
2 Longest Bowling Green win run

Biggest Northwestern win 49-7 in 2017, a 42-point margin.

Biggest Northwestern loss 24-28 in 2003 (postseason), a 4-point margin.

Every Northwestern vs Bowling Green meeting

Northwestern Wildcats vs Bowling Green Falcons, every meeting on record
SeasonResultSiteScore
2017 Northwestern win Evanston 49-7
2003 * Bowling Green win Neutral 24-28
2001 Bowling Green win Evanston 42-43

* postseason meeting. Scores from the Northwestern perspective. Source: CollegeFootballData game log, since 2001.

Matchup stats

Last five games

Bowling Green

DateOppResult
10-03 atMOH W 24-20
09-26 vsUSF L 6-14
09-19 atISU L 7-55
09-12 atNEB L 7-56
09-05 vsTAR L 13-20

Northwestern

DateOppResult
10-02 vsPSU W 34-13
09-25 atIU L 23-29
09-19 vsCOLO W 41-7
09-05 vsSDST W 34-18
12-26 vsCMU W 34-7

Completed results from CollegeFootballData via the CFB Data Hub

2026 standings

Mid-American

TeamWLTPCTPFPA
Toledo 410 .800212128
Massachusetts 410 .80015989
Western Michigan 320 .60011697
Ohio 320 .600134134
Central Michigan 320 .60088127
Eastern Michigan 330 .500133150
Miami (OH) 230 .400134146
Buffalo 230 .400102153
Kent State 230 .40075157
Sacramento State 140 .20088143
Akron 140 .20095168
Ball State 140 .20096189
Bowling Green 140 .20057165

Big Ten

TeamWLTPCTPFPA
Indiana 500 1.00022154
Nebraska 500 1.00021871
UCLA 400 1.00017975
USC 510 .833224153
Ohio State 410 .80021163
Iowa 410 .80014563
Wisconsin 410 .80015883
Minnesota 410 .80016090
Oregon 310 .75019093
Northwestern 310 .75013267
Penn State 320 .60016080
Washington 320 .60013392
Michigan 320 .60011579
Illinois 230 .400153130
Maryland 230 .400152151
Purdue 230 .400152175
Michigan State 230 .40091116
Rutgers 140 .200150161

Records computed from completed games this season

Bowling Green Falcons lead the series since 2001, 2-1. Here is the series on record and how to watch when Northwestern and Bowling Green meet.

How to watch Northwestern vs Bowling Green

When Northwestern and Bowling Green are scheduled, here is how to find the game.

  1. National TV National windows are set by Set weekly by the conference TV partners (ESPN, ABC, FOX, FS1).
  2. Streaming ESPN+ and the FOX Sports app stream the national windows.
  3. Radio Listen on the Northwestern radio network.
  4. Confirm kickoff Kickoff and the exact channel are set by the networks before game week. Check the match center for the Northwestern vs Bowling Green time and line.

The live time, line and how-to-watch details land on the match center and how to watch pages once the game is scheduled.

The Northwestern this season

Follow Northwestern in the title race on the Big Ten standings, and model the finish with the title race calculator. For the conference series that define the year, see the Big Ten rivalry pages, or browse every Big Ten matchup.

About the author and reviewer

Written by

The BIG10.CO Desk

Conference Newsroom · Independent Big Ten coverage since 2026

The house desk of BIG10.CO - independent researchers tracking every Big Ten game, stat and storyline.

Fact-checked by

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Every stat and historical claim on data pages is checked against official box scores and the live feed before publication.

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Northwestern vs Bowling Green: the essentials

Northwestern Wildcats vs Bowling Green Falcons is a non-conference matchup that sets the Big Ten against the Mid-American (Group of 6). Bowling Green Falcons lead the series since 2001, 2-1. Across 3 meetings on record the series is one-sided so far, and whenever the two programs are scheduled this page carries the Northwestern vs Bowling Green head-to-head record, the matchup numbers for both sides, and how to watch on TV and streaming. It sits alongside the Northwestern Wildcats team hub, the Big Ten this week round-up and the live conference standings. For Bowling Green against the whole conference, see Bowling Green vs the Big Ten.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the all-time record between Northwestern and Bowling Green?

Bowling Green Falcons lead the series since 2001, 2-1. The two programs have met 3 times on record.

How can I watch Northwestern vs Bowling Green?

National windows are set by Set weekly by the conference TV partners (ESPN, ABC, FOX, FS1). Kickoff time and the exact channel are set by the networks before game week.

Are Northwestern and Bowling Green in the same conference?

No. Northwestern plays in the Big Ten. Bowling Green plays in the Mid-American (Group of 6). This is a non-conference game.