by Rod Pearson
Monday, Oct 19, 2026
Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, October 24, 2026
Venue: Ryan Field, Evanston, IL
Where to Watch: Peacock
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Rutgers +16.5, Northwestern -16.5; Over/Under: 58.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Rutgers +16.5, Northwestern -16.5; Over/Under: 58.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Rutgers +16.5, Northwestern -16.5; Over/Under: 58.5 points
Season Record
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 2-4 (1-2) (14th place, Big Ten)
Northwestern Wildcats: 5-1 (2-1) (6th place, Big Ten)
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Rutgers Scarlet Knights: won their last game on the road against the Maryland Terrapins 37-30.
Northwestern Wildcats: won their last game on the road against the Michigan State Spartans 24-21.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Northwestern Wildcats Preview and Analysis
Rutgers is entering this game with a 2-4 record overall and they have a 1-2 record in their conference games too. They are 1-3 in their home games, 1-1 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 Maryland 37-30. Dylan Lonergan was the starting QB and he completed 23/35 passes for 291 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Clay Thevenin led the team in rushing yards with 109 and 1 TD. KJ Duff led the receivers with 113 receiving yards on 9 receptions and 1 TD. Sean Allison led the defense in that game with 8 tackles while Sekou Kromah led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.
Northwestern is entering this game with a 5-1 record overall and they have a 2-1 record in their conference games too. They are 4-0 in their home games, 1-1 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 Michigan State 24-21. Aidan Chiles was the starting QB and he completed 18/27 passes for 226 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Caleb Komolafe led the team in rushing yards with 67 and 1 TD. Griffin Wilde led the receivers with 57 receiving yards on 6 receptions. Braydon Brus led the defense in that game with 15 tackles while Michael Kilbane led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.
Rutgers vs Northwestern Prediction
The current betting odds have Northwestern listed as a 16.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Northwestern has looked good in their games this season with their 5-1 record overall and their 2-1 conference record which has them in the top half of the Big Ten. They have looked great on their home field too with their 4-0 home record this season. Meanwhile, Rutgers has looked terrible in their games this season with their 2-4 record overall and their 1-2 conference record which has them right near the bottom of the Big Ten. They haven't been a great road team either with their 1-1 road record this year. Rutgers is coming off their 1st conference win of the season, beating Maryland on the road 37-30, but that was a game between 2 of the worst teams in the Big Ten as Maryland's head coach is also a dead man walking. This is still a team that lost to UMass at home earlier in the year and they have looked like one of the worst power 4 teams in the nation. Northwestern has looked good though, really turning things around this season and they are now ranked inside the top 25. They are coming off a 24-21 win over Michigan State in their last one, passing the test in an emotional game against their former head coach, and their only loss this season was a 6 point road loss to Indiana who is one of the best teams in the nation. Northwestern has been rolling over teams at home all year and this game will be no different against one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. The best way to place a bet here is on Northwestern to cover the spread in this game.
Rutgers Northwestern Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 24, 2026 (12:00 pm ET start time) is Northwestern 31 Rutgers 10.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 4-8 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record. 2-6 ATS vesus good rushing teams - averaging 4.75 rushing yards/carry or more. 14-23 ATS when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 6-0 OVER after scoring 37 points or more last game. 8-4 OVER vs. good teams - outscoring opponents by 10+ PPG on the season.
Northwestern Wildcats: 6-3 ATS vs. good passing teams averaging 8 or more passing yards/att. 6-2 ATS vs. good offensive teams - scoring 31 or more points/game. 9-4 ATS versus good offensive teams - averaging 5.9 yards/play or more. 9-4 OVER versus good offensive teams - averaging 5.9 yards/play or more. 6-2 OVER vs. good offensive teams - scoring 31 or more points/game.
Key Injuries
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: F. Toure (WR) Questionable - Knee. K. Levy (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Kaliakmanis (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Sanders (CB) Six Game Injured List - Undisclosed. J. Houston (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Lonergan (QB) Out - Head.
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.
Notable Quotes
"Very proud of our coaches and our players. It was a 60-minute chop. Would have rather it might not have to be the whole 60, but, you know, we like to keep the TV people happy, right? Keep it close. We're down 10 at the half on the road in the Big Ten. That's hard stuff. And our guys just kept battling. Really proud.” - Greg Schiano after his team’s win against Maryland in their last game.
“Never a doubt. We knew we were going to win this game. We just didn’t know how. We came out, we finished the game like we were supposed to. We should have started off faster. The score shouldn’t have been as close. I’m a little disappointed in how we started off. But at the end of the day, a win is a win.” - Aidan Chiles after their win against MSU in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
WR Black III, Ben
WR Duff, KJ
WR Carter, Dyzier
TE Blake, Logan
QB Lonergan, Dylan
RB Raymond, Antwan
Northwestern Wildcats
WR Eligon II, Hayden
WR Wilde, Griffin
WR Wagner, Drew
TE Honig, Alex
QB Chiles, Aidan
RB Komolafe, Caleb
Statistical Leaders
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Passing: Dylan Lonergan (1,066)
Rushing: Antwan Raymond (498)
Receiving: KJ Duff (741)
Touchdowns: KJ Duff (9)
Northwestern Wildcats
Passing: Aidan Chiles (1,398)
Rushing: Caleb Komolafe (401)
Receiving: Griffin Wilde (482)
Touchdowns: Aidan Chiles (7)
Coaches:
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Greg Schiano (7th season)
Northwestern Wildcats: David Braun (4th season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
