QB Aidan Chiles’ status adds uncertainty to Northwestern-Iowa clash

Northwestern enters its Week 10 matchup against Iowa seeking its seventh win of the season and a second straight year with at least seven victories.

If the Wildcats are going to hit that mark this week, they may have to do so without quarterback Aidan Chiles under center.

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According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Chiles is expected to miss the top-25 matchup against the Hawkeyes on Saturday as the 6-foot-4 quarterback is dealing with an upper-body injury. The Wildcats listed Chiles as questionable on their Big Ten injury report on Thursday.

The Long Beach, California, native has enjoyed a nice bounce-back season at Northwestern after transferring from Michigan State this past offseason. He’s led the Wildcats to a 6-2 mark, which includes two notable Power Four wins over Colorado and Penn State and a near-upset on the road at Indiana, going into Week 10.

Individually, Chiles, playing in Chip Kelly’s offensive system, has completed 139-of-202 passes for 1,898 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. He’s also found success on the ground, finding the end zone 10 times, which leads Northwestern. He’s thrown just one interception.

Thamel reported that a timetable for Chiles’ return is uncertain. The Wildcats have Ohio State, Minnesota and Illinois in the coming weeks to close out the regular season following Saturday’s game against Iowa.

Despite its rankings in the US LBM Coaches Poll and 6-2 record, Northwestern was not ranked in the first College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday. The Big Ten as a whole had four teams included in the CFP top 25 rankings, including three-loss Oregon, which came in at No. 23.

Northwestern and Iowa are set for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Ryan Field on Saturday, Nov. 7.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: QB Aidan Chiles’ status adds uncertainty to Northwestern-Iowa clash