Oregon vs Northwestern 2026 | Peacock | How to Watch

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Oregon vs Northwestern

Saturday, Oct 31, 2026 | Autzen Stadium, Eugene

Peacock | 12:30 PM PT

Northwestern 2026: 6-1

Prediction: Low · Oregon 24, Northwestern 21 ↓

Last: W 34-14 (2025)

Gates: 3 hrs before kickoff Clear bags only (12x6x12) Shuttle $8 adv / $12 gameday Mobile tickets only No re-entry Autzen guide → Visitor's guide →

Updated October 26, 2026 |

Sources

ESPN box scores, team statistics and schedule API (through Sept 25, 2026); Northwestern Athletics recaps, game notes and releases (Sept 2026); AP game story via ESPN (Sept 25, 2026); Wikipedia (Chip Kelly's Oregon tenure); Oregon Athletics official box score, Oregon at Illinois (Oct 24, 2026); Oregon Athletics release on Mehringer (Oct 25, 2026); Lanning Monday press conference on Jay Johnson and Dante Moore (as quoted by ESPN, Paolo Uggetti, and Ducks Wire, Logan Brown, Oct 26, 2026); kickoff (GoDucks.com, Oct 19, 2026) and Peacock stream (OregonLive, Oct 20, 2026)

Oregon comes into Halloween at 4-3 after a 21-10 loss at Illinois in which it outgained the Illini by 112 yards and scored 10 points, and the Northwestern team walking into Autzen is not the quiet 7-6 program we planned for in August. The man calling its plays is Chip Kelly. Oregon’s will be Jay Johnson, the first-year quarterbacks assistant, who Dan Lanning said on Monday will "head the efforts" in play-calling, "still a collaborative effort," after Oregon relieved offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer of his duties on Oct 25 (Oregon Athletics release, Oct 25, 2026; Lanning as quoted by Ducks Wire, Oct 26, 2026). Dante Moore will not play again this season, Lanning said the same day. Oregon's head coach from 2009 to 2012 is Northwestern's offensive coordinator now, and his quarterback, Aidan Chiles, has thrown 75 passes through Sept 25 without an interception. The Wildcats are 6-1: they beat South Dakota State 34-18 and Colorado 41-7, then went to No. 5 Indiana as 20.5-point underdogs and lost 29-23 after cutting a 12-0 halftime deficit to 22-20 in the fourth quarter. Indiana needed 203 rushing yards from a backup running back to hold on. On Friday, Oct 2, Northwestern beat Penn State 34-13 and ran for 413 yards on 55 carries, and on Oct 10 it beat Ball State 45-14 with Chiles going 17 of 23 for 272 yards and three touchdowns (ESPN box score for each game). On Oct 17 it won 24-21 at Michigan State on a 34-yard Jackson Kleather field goal with 2 seconds left, set up when Matthew Smith blocked a Spartan field goal (AP, Oct 17, 2026). Rutgers is the last stop before Eugene. Our read: this is no longer the week you circle for resting starters.

“

If you don't believe we can play with anyone in the country, not just play with, but beat anyone in the country, you're not looking at the same game.

David Braun

Northwestern head coach, after the 29-23 loss at No. 5 Indiana, Sept 25, 2026 (Northwestern Athletics game recap)

Key Matchups

Our pass defense against Chiles, on schedule

Chiles is 53 of 75 for 807 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions through three games, 10.8 yards per attempt. At Indiana, once the AP says Kelly "turned Chiles loose" in the second half, he went 17 of 21 for 237 yards after halftime. His 293 for the night were the most passing yards any opposing quarterback has put on Indiana in the Cignetti era, per Northwestern Athletics. Our read: the job is not taking away one receiver. It is making Chiles hold the ball, because that is where this offense has cracked.

Our pass rush against Northwestern's protection

Northwestern has allowed seven sacks in three games, and Chiles has 30 carries for 20 net yards, sacks included. Against Indiana the Wildcats ran 27 times for 32 yards, had minus-5 rushing yards in the first half and gave up a safety on their first offensive snap. When Northwestern cannot run, the whole thing rests on Chiles getting the ball out. Pressure is the lever.

Our run game against Northwestern's run defense

This is the soft spot in the numbers. Northwestern has given up 598 rushing yards on 113 carries, 5.3 a carry, and Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr., who took over after starter Turbo Richard was hurt in the first half, ran 24 times for 203 yards. The Wildcats allow 18.0 points a game because they take the ball away (five takeaways, all against South Dakota State and Colorado), not because they stop the run.

1 more matchup

The second half

Northwestern has outscored opponents 39-20 in fourth quarters and scored 16 in the fourth at Indiana, the most anyone has put up in a single quarter against Indiana under Curt Cignetti, per Northwestern Athletics. It won the second half in Bloomington 23-17 after trailing 12-0. A lead at the half against this team is not the same as a finished game.

Where Both Teams Stand

Oregon: unranked in the AP Top 25, 2-2 in the Big Ten, 4-3 overall
Northwestern: T-20 in the AP Top 25, 3-1 in the Big Ten, 6-1 overall

AP Top 25 (week 9, published October 25, 2026). Big Ten standings via ESPN, retrieved October 28, 2026. Full 2026 Big Ten table →

Northwestern in 2026

T-20 Northwestern in the AP Top 25 (week 9, published October 25, 2026). Full Top 25 and where Oregon sits →

Northwestern is 6-1 and 3-1 in the Big Ten: 34-18 over two-time FCS champion South Dakota State in the opener, 41-7 over Colorado (Sept 19) in the final game at its lakefront stadium, a 29-23 loss at No. 5 Indiana (Sept 25), where it was a 20.5-point underdog, a 34-13 win over Penn State on Friday, Oct 2, with 413 rushing yards on 55 carries, and 45-14 over Ball State (Oct 10), when Chiles went 17 of 23 for 272 yards and three touchdowns. The offense is the story. Chip Kelly arrived as offensive coordinator, Chiles leads an attack averaging 33.0 points through four games, and the Wildcats won the second half at Indiana 23-17. The defense allows 16.8 points a game and 4.8 yards a carry, after holding Penn State to 48 rushing yards on 22 carries. The program is betting on it: Northwestern extended David Braun's contract through 2031 on Sept 17. The honest caveat: two of the wins came at home against South Dakota State and a Colorado team that turned it over four times, and Northwestern played Indiana without cornerback Braden Turner and lost cornerback Josh Fussell on the first series. Then 24-21 at Michigan State (Oct 17) on a field goal with 2 seconds left (AP, Oct 17, 2026). Rutgers still comes before Oregon. Sources: ESPN box scores for all six games (through the Oct 17 Michigan State game); Northwestern Athletics game recaps and notes (Sept 17 to 26, 2026); AP game story on ESPN (Sept 25, 2026).

Northwestern Snapshot

4-3

Oregon 2026

6-1

Northwestern 2026

Head Coach: David Braun

All-time series: 1-1 (Tied) Winsipedia

Aidan Chiles

Former Oregon State and Michigan State quarterback. Through Sept 25: 53 of 75 (70.7%), 807 yards, six passing touchdowns, zero interceptions, plus four rushing touchdowns. Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after the Colorado game (17 of 22, 241 yards, three passing and two rushing touchdowns). We have seen him before: he started for Michigan State at Autzen in 2024 and went 10 of 17 for 154 in Oregon's 31-10 win.

Griffin Wilde

Northwestern's most reliable target: 14 catches for 245 yards and two touchdowns through Sept 25, including a 71-yard catch against South Dakota State. Both of his touchdowns came in the second half at Indiana, and the second was his 10th as a Wildcat.

Joseph Himon II

The big-play back. An 80-yard touchdown run to close out South Dakota State, then three receiving touchdowns against Colorado, the most by a Northwestern running back in a game since at least 1995, per Northwestern Athletics. Through Sept 25: 10 carries for 115 yards and four catches for 61.

Robert Fitzgerald

A fifth-year defensive back who tackles like a linebacker: 38 tackles in three games (14, 11 and 13). He recovered a fumble against Colorado. Linebacker Braydon Brus (20 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks) is the other name to know.

By the Numbers, so far in 2026

33.1

Oregon PPG

34.7

Northwestern PPG

20.7

Oregon Opp PPG

16.6

Northwestern Opp PPG

Oregon: 7 games in 2026. Northwestern: 7 games in 2026, per ESPN (through 2026-10-28).

What to Watch

Watch the opening drive. Kelly's first possession as Northwestern's play-caller went 82 yards in two plays and 44 seconds, the program's fastest start to a season in ESPN research going back to 2003, per Northwestern Athletics. The man who built the offense Autzen fell in love with will be on the other sideline, and the crowd will know it. On the field, the matchup that matters is our pass rush against a line that has already given up seven sacks.

Visiting Northwestern Fans?

Welcome to Eugene.

Gates open at 9:30 AM PT, three hours before kickoff; the East Gate and the seating bowl open at 11:00 AM.
Getting there: the numbered lots need a reserved pass. The Autzen Express runs from four Park & Ride lots, and many fans park on campus and walk the footbridge.

Source: GoDucks Autzen game-day guide (checked Oct 4, 2026).

Ducks vs Them: Northwestern

2025

Ducks vs Them: Oregon vs Northwestern

The official pregame hype video from Oregon Athletics. W 34-14.

Via GoDucks / Oregon Athletics

The Call: our Oregon vs Northwestern score prediction

4 for 7 on winners, 23.3 points off a game.

We say Oregon24 Northwestern21

Low confidence

Game-week call, made Oct 25, 2026, after Illinois. Our preseason call was Oregon 45-10 with Very High confidence, and we are not keeping that. Northwestern is 6-1 (3-1 in the Big Ten) and has beaten Michigan State and Rutgers since its only loss, to Indiana. Oregon has scored 10 points in its last game and has not finished drives. We still pick Oregon at home because the defense is good enough to win a close game on Halloween. This is our opinion, not a forecast from a model.

Think we are wrong? Say it with numbers.

Call the exact score and we put your name on this page. First name and an initial, nothing else, and a human reads it first.

How to Watch · Peacock

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This game is on Peacock, and Peacock is a separate NBCUniversal subscription, not part of a live-TV bundle. You need Peacock itself. An antenna will not pick this one up and neither will a cable-replacement service.

Carriage checked September 4, 2026 against the providers' own channel lists.

What to Wear

Oregon Athletics is asking fans to wear black for this one. If you need it, here is Oregon gear in that color on Amazon. The official Duck Store stocks it too and the school gets the money there, which is the better call if you do not mind paying a bit more.

Color per Oregon Athletics' published 2026 fan color schedule. The Amazon link is an affiliate link and we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you; the Duck Store link is not, and we mention it anyway.

Injury Note

Current availability, from Oregon's latest Big Ten report, the one for the Illinois game (Oct 24). This is not a prediction for this game; its own report comes out during that game week. Players on our depth chart who are not at full go: Jalen Lott is out and Messiah Hampton is out. Full injury tracker →

Frequently Asked Questions

Dylan Raiola started at quarterback at Illinois on Oct 24 and played the whole game: 27 of 41 for 246 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, in the 21-10 loss. Brock Thomas did not play (Oregon Athletics official box score and participation list). Dante Moore is out for the rest of the season: Dan Lanning said on Monday, Oct 26, that Moore has no medical clearance after the concussion at USC on Sept 26 and that “for him to be out there on the field for us, that’s not gonna happen.” Oregon has not named a starter for Northwestern on Oct 31. (as of October 26, 2026). Moore's status is on the injury tracker.

Oregon hosts Northwestern on Saturday, October 31, 2026 (Halloween) at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. It is expected to be Oregon's Homecoming game.

Yes. Chip Kelly, Oregon's head coach from 2009 to 2012, is Northwestern's offensive coordinator in 2026, so he calls plays against the Ducks when Northwestern visits Autzen on Oct 31.

Aidan Chiles, a transfer who previously played at Oregon State and Michigan State. Through Sept 25 he had thrown for 807 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions, with four rushing touchdowns, and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after beating Colorado.

Northwestern lost 29-23 at No. 5 Indiana on Friday, Sept 25. It trailed 12-0 at halftime, pulled within 22-20 in the fourth quarter and kicked a late field goal, but Indiana recovered the onside kick.

Oregon beat Northwestern 34-14 on the road during the 2025 regular season.

David Braun, in his fourth season (he took over as interim coach in 2023). Braun led Northwestern to a 7-6 record in 2025 (4-5 Big Ten), including a bowl win over Central Michigan.

The all-time series is tied 1-1 after 2 meetings. Northwestern won 14-10 in 1974. Oregon won 34-14 in the 2025 Big Ten opener.

Autzen Stadium is at 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Eugene, Oregon. The Autzen Express shuttle is $8 per person in advance or $12 on gameday, sold online only (no cash). The Autzen Stadium numbered lots open six hours before kickoff (never earlier than 7:00 a.m.) and require a reserved parking pass. Clear bags only (12x6x12 max). Full details in our Autzen Stadium guide and Visitor's Guide.

Oregon vs Northwestern airs on Peacock with kickoff at 12:30 PM PT on Oct 31, 2026.

Oregon vs Northwestern is on Peacock at 12:30 PM PT on Oct 31, 2026. Fubo also carries Peacock. Note: Peacock is a separate NBCUniversal subscription, not part of a live-TV bundle.

Northwestern is ranked T-20 in the AP Top 25 (week 9). Northwestern is 6-1 in 2026, most recently a 42-14 win over Rutgers Scarlet Knights, coached by David Braun.

Homecoming! What is your favorite Autzen memory?

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2026 Schedule

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Chip Kelly Calls Plays Against Us at Autzen