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1995 Northwestern Wildcats football team

1995 Northwestern Wildcats football
Big Ten champion
Rose Bowl, L 32–41 vs. USC
Conference Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches No. 7
AP No. 8
1995 record 10–2 (8–0 Big Ten)
Head coach Gary Barnett (4th year)
Home stadium Dyche Stadium (Capacity: 49,256)
Seasons
← 1994
1996 →
1995 Big Ten football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#8 Northwestern $ 8 0 0     10 2 0
#6 Ohio State 7 1 0     11 2 0
#13 Penn State 5 3 0     9 3 0
#17 Michigan 5 3 0     9 4 0
Michigan State 4 3 1     6 5 1
#25 Iowa 4 4 0     8 4 0
Illinois 3 4 1     5 5 1
Wisconsin 3 4 1     4 5 2
Purdue 2 5 1     4 6 1
Minnesota 1 7 0     3 8 0
Indiana 0 8 0     2 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1995 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University in the 1995 NCAA Division I-A college football season. The 1995 season was a highly memorable one for the Northwestern program, as the Wildcats went 10-2 overall and 8-0 in the Big Ten Conference, earning their first winning season since 1971, their first conference championship since 1936, and their 10-win season in school history. They also broke several long-standing losing streaks to regular opponents, including a 22-game losing streak to Iowa, a 19-game losing streak against Michigan, and a 14-game losing streak to Notre Dame.

"Expect Victory" was the motto even as Northwestern began the season as 28-point underdogs against Notre Dame, who they upset 17-15, propelling into the AP poll at #25. An upset loss to the Miami Redhawks in the second game of the season caused the Wildcats to drop out of the rankings. However, subsequent wins over ranked Michigan (19-13), Wisconsin (35-0), and Penn State (21-10) pushed the Wildcats into the top-10 while making them national media darlings.

Nine consecutive wins (including eight against Big Ten opponents) brought Northwestern their highest ever ranking (#3), a conference title, and their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1949. In the Rose Bowl, the Wildcats' Cinderella season came to a conclusion with a 41–32 loss to the USC Trojans, and they finished the season at #8.


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