Penn State Nittany Lions vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/30/2023

Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, September 30, 2023

Venue:  Ryan Field, Evanston, IL

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  PSU -27, NW +27; Over/Under:  46 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  PSU -27, NW +27; Over/Under:  46 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  PSU -27.5, NW +27.5; Over/Under:  45.5 points

Penn State Nittany Lions:  4-0 (2-0) (1st place, Big Ten East)

Northwestern Wildcats:  2-2 (1-1) (2nd place, Big Ten West)

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Penn State Nittany Lions:  won their last game at home against the Iowa Hawkeyes 31-0.

Northwestern Wildcats:  won their last game at home against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in overtime 37-34.

Penn State is entering this game with a 4-0 record overall and they have a 2-0 record in their conference games too. They are 3-0 in their home games, 1-0 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 Iowa 31-0. Drew Allar was the starting QB and he completed 25/37 passes for 166 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Kaytron Allen led the team in rushing yards with 72. KeAndre Lambert-Smith led the receivers with 66 receiving yards on 8 receptions and 1 TD. Curtis Jacobs led the defense in that game with 2 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Adisa Isaac, Amin Vanover, and Demeioun Robinson each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

Northwestern is entering this game with a 2-2 record overall and they have a 1-1 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 0-2 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 won their last game against Minnesota in OT 37-34. Ben Bryant was the starting QB and he completed 33/49 passes for 396 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Cam Porter led the team in rushing yards with 56 and 1 TD. Bryce Kirtz led the receivers with 215 receiving yards on 10 receptions and 2 TDs. Coco Azema led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack in that one. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have Northwestern listed as a 27 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Northwestern had a lot of things happen in the off-season which affected their team in a negative way but they have bounced back nicely since losing badly in their 1st game of the season. They just pulled off a huge comeback win over Minnesota in their last game and now they are back at home again for this one. Penn State has also looked really good in their games with their 4-0 record and they have been blowing teams out too, but they have also played a really weak schedule so far. Their only win on the road was against Illinois and Illinois hasn't been good at all this year. They did shut out Iowa in their last game who does have a good team but that was at home in a white-out game and now they go on the road against a much weaker team which they could easily overlook in this let down spot. Penn State is going to win this game since they have been really good all year, but this is still too many points for them on the road when Northwestern has been playing much better lately. The best way to place a bet here is on Northwestern to cover the spread in this game. 

Penn State Northwestern Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 30, 2023 (12:00 pm ET start time) is Penn State 35 Northwestern 14.

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Penn State Nittany Lions: 20-9 ATS in all games. 17-5 ATS as a favorite. 8-3 ATS in road games. 27-11 UNDER after a game where they forced 4 or more turnovers. 27-19 UNDER after allowing 225 or less total yards in their previous game.

Northwestern Wildcats: 10-18 ATS in all games. 0-9 ATS after 1 or more consecutive wins against the spread. 3-9 ATS after playing a game at home. 20-11 UNDER in a home game where the total is between 45.5 and 49. 9-5 UNDER after a home game where both teams score 31 or more points.

Penn State Nittany Lions:  J. Mahlert (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. M. Meiga (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. T. Johnson (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. K. Kiesewetter (QB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. J. Green (S) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. I. Harvie (OL) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. M. Robinson (DE) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. D. Kency (RB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. A. Ford Jr. (DT) out for season - Undisclosed.

Northwestern Wildcats:  C. Petrucci (TE) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. P. Bacon (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. B. Van Buren (TE) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. R. Niro III (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. M. Lang (TE) Ques Sat - Lower Body. F. Covey IV (WR) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed.

“We put a priority on athleticism. There’s probably a few bigger defenses, but we are athletic and we are quick and we are explosive and we’re playing more consistent, gap-sound defense.” - James Franklin after his team’s win against Iowa in their last game. 

“For the students and the Northwestern community as a whole, what a great rallying moment for us.” - David Braun after his team’s win against Minnesota in their last game. 

WR Cephas, Dante 

WR Lambert-Smith, KeAndre 

WR Clifford, Liam 

TE Johnson, Theo 

QB Allar, Drew 

RB Singleton, Nicholas 

WR Johnson, Cam 

WR Kirtz, Bryce 

WR Henning, A.J. 

TE Lang, Marshall 

QB Bryant, Ben 

RB Porter, Cam 

Passing: D. Allar (903)

Rushing: K. Allen (280)

Receiving: K. Lambert-Smith (286)

Touchdowns: N. Singleton (5)

Passing: B. Bryant (804)

Rushing: C. Porter (203)

Receiving: B. Kirtz (274)

Touchdowns: A. Henning (3)

Coaches:

Penn State Nittany Lions: James Franklin (10th season)

Northwestern Wildcats: David Braun (Interim)