Live College Football Rankings

Northwestern

B10 · 1998 Season · Final

Rock Bottom
Record
3–9
0.250 Win %
Conference
11th
0–8 in B10

All-Time Resume

Ranked Seasons
131
1892–2026
All-Time Record
558–696–40
0.447 Win %
Peak Final Rank
#6
1930, 1931
#1 Finishes
0
Top 5: 0 · Top 10: 4 · Top 25: 28
  • 12-Team Playoff & Revenue Era · 1 seasons
  • Limited Playoff Era · 25 seasons
  • Independents & Bowl Tie-In Era · 16 seasons · 1 Top 10
  • Divisional Era · 26 seasons
  • AP Poll & Postwar Era · 20 seasons
  • Forward Pass & Stadium Boom Era · 28 seasons · 2 Top 10
  • Pioneer Era · 14 seasons · 1 Top 10

Final finishes, as published; the season in progress counts toward record only. Compare Northwestern head-to-head · History & Eras

1998 Schedule & Results

WkDateOpponentConfOpp. RecordResult
2Week 2 · Sep 8UNLVH2HIND WAC0–11W 41–7
3Week 3 · Sep 15Duke (DUKE)H2HACC4–7L 10–44
4Week 4 · Sep 22Rice (RICE)H2HIND WAC5–6W 23–14
5Week 5 · Sep 29Wisconsin (WISCONSIN)H2HB1011–1L 7–38
6Week 6 · Oct 6Illinois (ILLINOIS)H2HB103–8L 10–13
7Week 7 · Oct 13Iowa (IOWA)H2HB103–8L 24–26
8Week 8 · Oct 20Michigan (MICHIGAN)H2HB1010–3L 6–12
9Week 9 · Oct 27Ohio State (OHIO STATE)H2HB1011–1L 10–36
10Week 10 · Nov 3Michigan State (MICHIGAN STATE)H2HB106–6L 5–29
11Week 11 · Nov 10Purdue (PURDUE)H2HB109–4L 21–56
12Week 12 · Nov 17Penn State (PENN STATE)H2HB109–3L 10–41
13Week 13 · Nov 24Hawai'i (HAWAII)H2HIND WAC0–12W 47–21

Past season results come from the published weekly rankings; home/away is not recorded. Unranked = opponent outside the ranked field. Kickoff times in Eastern Time. TBD = not yet announced. vs* = neutral site. Opp. Record is the current season record; — = unavailable.

Rating Tier Spectrum
5.981
Paramount (best)Rock Bottom

Where the rating sits on the 12-tier scale (lower is better).

NOW — Net Opponent Wins
-36
-41+5
  • Rice +5
  • UNLV 0
  • Hawai'i 0
  • Wisconsin -1
  • Ohio State -1
  • Michigan -3
  • Penn State -3
  • Purdue -4
  • Michigan State -6
  • Duke -7
  • Illinois -8
  • Iowa -8

Each win stacks that opponent's win total to the right; each loss stacks that opponent's loss total to the left.

National Standing
Rank #97Better than 30%
Win % Place 98thBetter than 29%

0.250 Win % · No change

Percent of all FBS teams this team is ahead of.

Rank by Week
#98W14#98Regular Season Final#98Post-Season W2#97Post-Season W3#97Final

Higher on the chart = better rank.

Game Margins
+34
-34
+9
-31
-3
-2
-6
-26
-24
-35
-31
+26

Bars above the line are wins, below are losses; height = point margin.

Final Rank by Season
#891993#771994#71995#251996#671997

Higher = better finish. Ranks as published.

Power Up Rankings is an independent sports analytics and rankings publication. All team, school, conference, league, tournament, and championship names, logos, emblems, colors, trophies, and related marks are trademarks and property of their respective owners. Their use on this site is for editorial, informational, and identification purposes only and does not imply any affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement.

Copyright © 2026. All Rights Reserved. Power Up Rankings