| Wide: | yes |
| NSU Challenge | |
| Team1logo: | Nicholls State Colonels wordmark.svg |
| Team2logo: | Northwestern State Demons wordmark.svg |
| Firstmeeting: | October 6, 1973 Nicholls State 3, Northwestern State 0 |
| Mostrecent: | October 9, 2024 Nicholls 20, Northwestern State 0 |
| Nextmeeting: | 2025 |
| Total: | 51 |
| Series: | Northwestern State leads, 29–22 |
| Largestvictory: | Nicholls State, 58–0 (2007) |
| Longeststreak: | Northwestern State, 9 (1980–1988) |
| Currentstreak: | Nicholls, 1 (2024–present) |
| Trophy: | NSU Trophy |
The NSU Challenge is an American college football rivalry game[1] played annually between the Nicholls Colonels football team representing Nicholls State University and Northwestern State Demons football team representing Northwestern State University.[2] Both universities are members of the Southland Conference. The NSU Trophy, which is a wooden trophy enscripted with NSU goes to the winning team.[3] [4] Although Nicholls has changed their athletic brand name from Nicholls State to Nicholls in 2018, thus not going by NSU anymore in athletics, the rivalry is still called the NSU Challenge.
The first game in the Nicholls–Northwestern State series was played in 1973.[5]