2025 Northwestern Football Predictions: Wildcats Ranked 55th in RJ Young's Ultimate 136
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Aug. 10, 2025 10:17 p.m. ET
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This isn't your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
Who do I think is good?
Why do I think they're good?
What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Northwestern lands in my Ultimate 136.
Northwestern ranking: 55
Last year's ranking: 75
Top player: QB Preston Stone: Threw for 3,197 yards in 2023 at SMU, fourth-most in the ACC and 26th in FBS; appeared in seven games with four starts for SMU last season.
[Northwestern's 2025 schedule]
RJ's take: Former South Dakota State offensive coordinator Zach Lujan will partner with former SMU QB Preston Stone and look to improve an offense that was among the worst in the Big Ten last year. Stone will be throwing the ball to former South Dakota State WR Griffin Wilde this year, but can they produce points for a team that opens the season with two of their first three games against Tulane and Oregon?
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[Check out RJ Young's Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]
Northwestern Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (-192) Under 3.5 (+154)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school's rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young , and I'll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
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Miami Herald
4 hours ago
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Miami-Dade high school football teams will once again take on a challenging road to possible state championships, which will once again include tough opposition both locally and nationally. Here's a look at the best games involving Miami-Dade County teams: NOTE: All games at 7:30 unless noted. Southridge at Columbus (Tropical), 4, Aug. 21: A thriller between state title contenders right off the bat? Why not? Last season, these two provided fans a thriller, which Columbus ended up winning 17-14 thanks to a late turnover. Southridge and Columbus each advanced to the state semifinals a year ago in their respective classes and could use this game as a jump start to their efforts to make it all the way this season. More games to watch - Aug. 23: Orange (Ca.) Lutheran vs. Northwestern (Traz), 7; Central at Jacksonville Raines, 6:30. Venice vs. Northwestern (Traz), Aug. 29: Despite the offseason turmoil after the departure of coach Teddy Bridgewater, Northwestern remains a national title contender. After a tough opener, expect the Bulls to be motivated to make a statement against Venice, everyone's favorite to repeat in Class 7A. More games to watch - Aug. 28: Norland vs. Carol City (Traz), 7; Mater Academy at Doral, 7; Aug. 29: Columbus at Our Lady of Good Counsel (Md.), 7; South Dade vs. Homestead (Harris); Aug. 30: NMB vs. North Miami (Traz), 7. Southridge vs. Palmetto (Tropical), 7, Sept. 4: A longtime neighborhood rivalry might present its best matchup in some time as both teams enter the season as state title contenders in their respective classes. Palmetto has a different obstacle it needs to conquer (Columbus) if it's to make it to state, but Southridge provides a challenging litmus test early in the season. And the reverse is true as well for the Spartans, who are eyeing a potential rematch down the road with West Boca. St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Columbus (Tropical), 7, Sept. 5: A great name game and a fun atmosphere for sure. But will the Explorers make it a more competitive game this year in the rematch of last year's 42-6 Aquinas victory. More games to watch - Sept. 4: Carol City vs. Northwestern (Traz), 7; Sept. 5: Central vs. Booker T. (Traz); Sept. 6: Monsignor Pace vs. True North (Tropical), 7. Palmetto vs. Columbus (Tropical), 7, Sept. 12: And here's the aforementioned crucial matchup for Palmetto. Columbus has dominated the Panthers in recent years and often the winner of this game is the one which advances the furthest from Dade in the state's largest classification. The same should be true this season. More games to watch - Sept. 11: Miami High vs. Coral Gables, 7; Sept. 12: Miramar at Mater Academy, 7; True North at Archbishop McCarthy, 7; Norland vs. Northwestern (Traz). Central at American Heritage, Sept. 19: Three years after their collision for the state title, these two are still among the state and nation's best. Some wonder if Central is still able to compete at an elite level this season. This game should be another good indication if they can. Northwestern vs. Columbus (Tropical), Sept. 19: Another big challenge for the Explorers and a solid one for Northwestern as it looks to pick up momentum in its bid to repeat as state champions. More games to watch - Sept. 18: Killian vs. Palmetto (Tropical), 7; Doral at Southridge, 7; Monsignor Pace vs. Edison (Traz), 7; Norland at Delray Atlantic, 6:30. True North at Archbishop Carroll, 3:30, Sept. 26: When these two have played in recent years, it's often been a thriller and settled who goes the furthest in Dade in Class 1A. True North might have its deepest roster ever, but Carroll can always find a way to level the playing field. 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GMAC championship, Oct. 16-18: The Greater Miami Athletic Conference once again puts together a weekend of crosstown matchups for its league teams, culminating with a title game at Traz Powell Stadium that often pits state title contenders against each other in a matchup you won't see in the playoffs. More games to watch - Oct. 16: Gulliver at Belen, 7; Oct. 17: St. Brendan at La Salle. Coral Reef vs. Ferguson (Tropical), Oct. 24: These two met for the GMAC Independent conference championship last season with the Barracudas taking home the trophy. Although there's usually a lot of parity in this league, figure these two well-coached programs to have a chance to be in the mix once again for the league title at this point. More games to watch - Oct. 24: True North at Columbus, 6; NMB vs. Monsignor Pace (Traz); Oct. 25: Norland at Plantation (PAL), 7. Carol City vs. Central (Traz), 7, Oct. 30: Could this rivalry see a boost this season? 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11 hours ago
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Lennear, Russell are the latest in stellar legacy of Northwestern wide receivers
The legacy of star wide receivers at Northwestern is long. Right now, the Bulls might have two more - at least. Calvin Russell is the No. 1 wide receiver in Florida for the Class of 2026 and yet, on any given Friday, he might not even be the best wideout on his own team. Right behind him is Nick Lennear, the No. 1 wide receiver in the state for the Class of 2027 and a five-star prospect with a host of national powers already lining up for his services. 'It's a lot of competition,' said Lennear, who's the No. 25 prospect in the 2027 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. 'We've got a big brotherhood at the West. That's the key word: brotherhood.' Northwestern has long produced elite wide receiver talent such as Amari Cooper, Snoop Minnis, Eli Rogers and even Tutu Atwell, who played mostly quarterback in high school, but became a wide receiver in college and now plays for the Los Angeles Rams. No need to look further than the Class 3A state playoffs last year to understand what Lennear might be—and already is: In a rout of Melbourne Eau Gallie in the state semifinals, Lennear was the best receiver on the field, catching five passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. He followed that with four catches for 121 yards and a touchdown in a 41-0 rout of Jacksonville Raines in the state championship game. Even on a team with two upperclassman 600-yard receivers, Lennear managed to stand out, finishing the year with more catches and receiving yards than Russell, and tying for the team lead with 11 touchdown catches. Now both upperclassmen, Lennear and Russell form perhaps the best wide receiver tandem in the country, let alone the state. Last year, Darius Johnson—now at Syracuse—led the Bulls with 40 catches at 785 yards, but Russell, who orally committed to the Orange last month, and Lennear were close behind. Russell had 35 catches for 645 yards and 11 touchdowns, and Lennear had 38 catches for 657 yards and 11 touchdowns, too. The competition that comes with playing in the same position group with other blue-chip prospects and future Division I talents has boosted Northwestern players for decades and now is doing the same for Lennear. 'It's a real brotherhood at the West,' said the junior, who has grown from 5-foot-11 and 150 pounds last year, to 6-1 and 175 pounds now. 'It's a straight brotherhood.' The Bulls' brotherhood helps explain why Northwestern kept much of its roster intact even after the Bulls suspended former coach Teddy Bridgewater—who has since returned to the NFL with the Buccaneers—for providing impermissible benefits to players in the form Uber rides for players to get home from practice and pregame meals. On Tuesday, Northwestern officially named Jaquatin Victrum as interim coach for the 2025 season. Lennear still gives Bridgewater credit for his breakout sophomore season. 'He really holds me accountable. He's the reason I really matured,' Lennear said. 'He just worked us really hard. As a junior, Lennear plans to be a full-time two-way player. He's also starting to really think about his recruitment. Right now, Miami, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Nebraska are all involved in recruiting Lennear, with the Hurricanes, Orange and Cornhuskers among the early standouts. Miami, of course, has the hometown ties—'it's a lot of coaches really trying to get at me,' Lennear said—and Syracuse has the benefit of recent success at recruiting Bulls, with Johnson already up in New York and Russell poised to follow him after committing to the Orange earlier this year. 'That relationship's really good,' Lennear said. 'I really mess with coach Fran [Brown, wide receivers coach Myles White] and how Calvin Russell just committed there, too. I really mess with a lot of guys that go there from my team.' Lennear has plenty of time to worry about his next step, though. For now, he's worried about keeping the Bulls on top, even after a tumultuous offseason. 'I'm really excited,' Lennear said. 'We're going to play for [Bridgewater].'
