Iowa Hawkeyes vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 11/07/2026

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, November 7, 2026

Venue:  Ryan Field, Evanston, IL

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Iowa +2.5, Northwestern -2.5; Over/Under:  45.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Iowa +2.5, Northwestern -2.5; Over/Under:  45.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Iowa +2.5, Northwestern -2.5; Over/Under:  45.5 points

Iowa Hawkeyes:  6-2 (3-2) (7th place, Big Ten)

Northwestern Wildcats:  6-2 (3-2) (9th place, Big Ten)

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Iowa Hawkeyes:  won their last game at home against the Wisconsin Badgers 30-0.

Northwestern Wildcats:  lost their last game on the road against the Oregon Ducks 34-26.

Iowa is entering this game with a 6-2 record overall and they have a 3-2 record in their conference games too. They are 4-1 in their home games, 2-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Wisconsin 30-0. Hank Brown was the starting QB and he completed 20/24 passes for 222 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Xavier Williams led the team in rushing yards with 78. Tony Diaz led the receivers with 75 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Deshaun Lee and Cam Buffington each led the defense in that game with 6 tackles while Cam Buffington led the defense in sacks with 1. Jacob Wallace came away with the only interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Northwestern is entering this game with a 6-2 record overall and they have a 3-2 record in their conference games too. They are 5-0 in their home games, 1-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against Oregon 34-26. Aidan Chiles was the starting QB and he completed 22/38 passes for 281 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Aidan Chiles led the team in rushing yards with 93 and 1 TD. Griffin Wilde led the receivers with 146 receiving yards on 5 receptions and 1 TD. Alijah Jones led the defense in that game with 8 tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack for them. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Iowa listed as a 2.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Iowa has looked good in their games this season with their 6-2 record overall and their 3-2 conference record which has them in the top half of the Big Ten. They have been a good road team too with their 2-1 road record this year. Meanwhile, Northwestern has looked good in their games this season with their 6-2 record overall and their 3-2 conference record which has them in the top half of the Big Ten. They have looked great on their home field too with their 5-0 home record this season. Northwestern has been rolling all season and they even ended up ranked inside the top 25 in the AP Poll, but the CFP Rankings told a different story. Northwestern has been blowing teams out lately and they have a really tight loss to Indiana, but they haven't really picked up any good wins with a lot of their wins being against bottom feeders. They are coming off a 34-26 loss to Oregon in their last one and their defense really got exposed when they finally had to play a better offense. They won't be seeing a better offense here, but Iowa has been a really solid team all season. Their only losses were to a healthy Ohio State and on the road against Minnesota 13-10, a game in which they outgained Minnesota by a lot. Iowa is the team that enters this game ranked though and it is for good reason. They have beaten better opponents so far and they do have one of the best defenses in the Big Ten. They are coming off a 30-0 win over Wisconsin in their last one and they are going to use the momentum from that win to show why they deserve to be the ranked team here. Northwestern has been good this year, but they have failed every test that they have been given and this game will be no different. The best way to place a bet here is on Iowa to cover the spread in this game. 

Iowa Northwestern Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, November 7, 2026 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Iowa 16 Northwestern 13.

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Iowa Hawkeyes: 8-4 ATS in road lined games. 15-7 ATS against conference opponents. 13-4 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record. 8-3 OVER when the line is +3 to -3. 7-3 OVER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%).

Northwestern Wildcats: 21-29 ATS at home off a road loss against a conference rival. 12-19 ATS at home versus good defensive teams - allowing 4.5 yards/play or less. 27-34 ATS at home off a road loss. 10-2 OVER off a loss against a conference rival. 8-4 OVER vs. good teams - outscoring opponents by 10+ PPG on the season.

Iowa Hawkeyes:  H. Brown (QB) Out - Shoulder. L. Phillips Jr. (RB) Questionable - Ankle.

Northwestern Wildcats:  C. Petrucci (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. C. Farrell (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Turner (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. McDuffie (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. L. Dehnicke (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. T. McGlinchey (TE) Out - Undisclosed. J. Fussell (CB) Out - Undisclosed.

“I thought he played a really good game. You have to have control out there, and it's a hard position. He clearly was in control today.” - Kirk Ferentz after his team’s win against Wisconsin in their last game. 

“The learning opportunity comes when you have a team on the ropes, on their heels. I'm not saying Oregon is a team that can easily be put away, but there were opportunities for us to get stops on defense when we were up by two scores, really keep the momentum and hold onto it. There were opportunities in the third quarter to get a stop and get the ball back to our offense after a long drive that resulted in a field goal." - David Braun after his team’s loss against Oregon in their last game.  

WR Vander Zee, Reece 

WR Diaz, Tony

WR James, Evan

TE Vonnahme, DJ

QB Brown, Hank

RB Phillips Jr., L.J.

WR Eligon II, Hayden

WR Wilde, Griffin

WR Wagner, Drew

TE Honig, Alex

QB Chiles, Aidan

RB Komolafe, Caleb

Passing: Hank Brown (1,190)

Rushing: Kamari Moulton (541)

Receiving: Tony Diaz (461)

Touchdowns: Xavier Williams (4)

Passing: Aidan Chiles (1,898)

Rushing: Caleb Komolafe (618)

Receiving: Griffin Wilde (761)

Touchdowns: Aidan Chiles (10)

Coaches:

Iowa Hawkeyes: Kirk Ferentz (28th season)

Northwestern Wildcats: David Braun (4th season)