The 2005 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University during the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. They played their home games at Ryan Field and participated as members of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by seventh-year head coach Randy Walker. The Wildcats finished tied for 3rd place in the Big Ten with a conference record of 5–3. This would be Walker's last season as the Wildcats' coach, as he would die suddenly from a heart attack on June 29, 2006 at the age of 52. Linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator and Northwestern alum Pat Fitzgerald would be promoted to head coach on July 7, 2006.

Schedule

Roster

Game summaries

Ohio

Northern Illinois

At No. 18 Arizona State

Penn State

No. 14 Wisconsin

At Purdue

At No. 22 Michigan State

No. 25 Michigan

Iowa

At No. 10 Ohio State

At Illinois

Vs. No. 17 UCLA (Sun Bowl)

The Wildcats were invited to play in the 2005 Sun Bowl. They lost 38–50 to the UCLA Bruins, who staged a 22-point comeback, a record for the Bruins at the time.