The Northwestern Wildcats were 6-6 in 2016. They emerged victorious over the Pittsburgh Panthers, 31 to 24, in the Pinstripe Bowl.
| GP | PTS | YDS | PLY | AVG | RUSH YDS | RUSH ATT | RUSH AVG | PASS YDS | PASS ATT | PASS AVG | SCK | SCKY | 1DWN | RUSH 1DWN | PASS 1DWN | PEN 1DWN | PEN | PEN YDS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | 13 | 338 | 5,177 | 984 | 5.3 | 1,991 | 501 | 4.0 | 3,186 | 483 | 6.6 | 39 | 216 | 280 | 104 | 156 | 20 | 47 | 389 |
Team Rank | 77th | 67th | 20th | 100th | 85th | 65th | 98th | 45th | 16th | 100th | 117th | 35th | 57th | 87th | 24th | 65th | 3rd | 3rd | |
Opponent | 13 | 289 | 5,257 | 1,001 | 5.4 | 1,809 | 478 | 3.8 | 3,448 | 496 | 7.0 | 27 | 189 | 279 | 113 | 156 | 10 | 61 | 593 |
Opponent Rank | 23rd | 70th | 103rd | 45th | 30th | 46th | 29th | 111th | 123rd | 44th | 60th | 78th | 85th | 59th | 115th | 3rd | 110th | 94th | |
Net | +49 | -80 | -17 | -0.1 | +182 | +23 | +0.2 | -262 | -13 | -0.4 | +12 | +27 | +1 | -9 | 0 | +10 | -14 | -204 | |
Net Rank | 56th | 75th | 61st | 83rd | 59th | 56th | 64th | 84th | 69th | 79th | 103rd | 48th | 63rd | 75th | 65th | 8th | 28th | 7th |
| Atlantic Coast | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 1 | .900 | |
| 2 | 9 | 2 | .818 |
| Big 10 | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| 2 | 11 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Independent | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 2 | .800 | |
| 2 | 8 | 3 | .727 |
| Pac-12 | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 9 | .182 | |
| 2 | 5 | 5 | .500 |
| Mountain West | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 2 | .800 | |
| 2 | 9 | 2 | .818 |
| Big 12 | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 1 | .909 | |
| 2 | 9 | 1 | .900 |
| American Athletic | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 2 | .800 | |
| 2 | 9 | 1 | .900 |
| Mid-American | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 4 | .636 | |
| 2 | 7 | 4 | .636 |
| Conference USA | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 3 | .700 | |
| 2 | 8 | 2 | .800 |
| Sun Belt | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 1 | .900 | |
| 2 | 7 | 3 | .700 |