The Northwestern Wildcats (3-3) play the Wisconsin Badgers (4-2) at Ryan Field on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 12:00 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
The Badgers have allowed just 13 points in their last two games against Purdue and Rutgers.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats smoked the Terps, 37-10, on the road in their last game.
Wisconsin enters this Week 8 contest as a -7.5 favorite on the spread, while the total sits at 41.5
So, where's the betting value here? Let's dive into my Northwestern vs Wisconsin predictions and college football picks for Saturday's Week 8 NCAAF matchup below.
Wisconsin vs Northwestern Prediction
- Wisconsin vs Northwestern Pick: Northwestern +7.5
My Wisconsin vs Northwestern best bet is on the Wildcats spread, with the best line currently available at DraftKings, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Wisconsin vs Northwestern Odds
| Wisconsin Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -115 | 41.5 -110o / -110u | -320 |
| Northwestern Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -105 | 41.5 -110o / -110u | +260 |
- Wisconsin vs Northwestern Point Spread: Wisconsin -7.5 (-115) · Northwestern +7.5 (-105)
- Wisconsin vs Northwestern Total: Over/Under 41.5
- Wisconsin vs Northwestern Moneyline: Wisconsin -320 · Northwestern +260
Wisconsin vs Northwestern Preview
Wisconsin Badgers Betting Preview: Context is Needed
Is it time to talk about it?
Wisconsin….doesn’t look like Wisconsin!
After opening the season with two ugly wins by 14 points against Western Michigan and South Dakota in back-to-back weeks, the Badgers then took decisive losses to Alabama and USC, and you would be forgiven if you forgot about Wisconsin football for a few weeks.
Since then, they have won back-to-back games over Purdue and Rutgers by a combined score of 94-13.
Wisconsin may have found something with sophomore quarterback Braedyn Locke stepping in for Tyler Van Dyke. Locke has thrown for 904 yards and six touchdowns since inheriting the job after Van Dyke went down due to injury.
Some context is needed, and it is critical to telling the story of who this Wisconsin team really is.
Two Rutgers captains were hurt, and the Scarlet Knights lost four other starters during the game. The Rutgers team Wisconsin dominated is not the same Scarlet Knights team that had been highly competitive earlier in the year.
The week before, the Boilermakers played their first game after firing offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. Purdue has since made a quarterback change and looked much improved a week after getting eviscerated by the Badgers.
Add it all up, and you have a Badgers team that is not all that different from the one that struggled against Western Michigan and South Dakota at the start of the year, even if the scoreboard has looked different recently.
Offensively, the Badgers want to run the ball a lot and rank 28th nationally in Rush Success Rate. They are worse through the air, ranking 57th in Pass Success Rate.
Defensively, the Badgers rank outside the top 50 nationally in all key categories except for Quality Drives. Barring self-inflicted incompetence (or injuries), teams have been able to move the ball on Wisconsin this season.
Northwestern Wildcats Betting Preview: Statement Victory
Enter Northwestern, who is coming off a statement win on the road against Maryland last week.
Northwestern jumped all over the Terrapins, taking a 17-0 lead late into the first half before pouring it on in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 unanswered points to win by a score of 37-10.
Sophomore quarterback Jack Lausch has now put together back-to-back inspiring performances, throwing for 243 yards and two touchdowns against Indiana before totaling 203 yards against Maryland.
Lausch won’t wow you with his arm, but he is a capable runner and will take advantage of any cracks in the defense. He has 37 attempts on the season for 141 yards, and the Wisconsin front is not all that imposing. Lausch should be able to make some plays to keep things interesting.
Northwestern’s one major weakness on defense has been stopping teams through the air. Both Washington and Indiana were able to exploit Northwestern’s secondary, which ranks just 78th in Pass Success Rate allowed this year.
Against the run, the Wildcats have been much better. Northwestern ranks 41st nationally in Rush Success Rate allowed, and that’s a good sign heading into this game against the Badgers.
Wisconsin won’t be able to run right through Northwestern here, and Locke will need to make some plays with his arm, which is not what any Badgers fan wants to hear.
Wisconsin vs Northwestern
Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Wisconsin and Northwestern match up statistically:
Wisconsin Offense vs. Northwestern Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 28 | 41 | |
| Line Yards | 49 | 49 |  |
| Pass Success | 57 | 78 | |
| Havoc | 32 | 42 | |
| Finishing Drives | 24 | 13 | |
| Quality Drives | 93 | 39 | |
Northwestern Offense vs. Wisconsin Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 102 | 69 | |
| Line Yards | 125 | 100 | |
| Pass Success | 119 | 51 | |
| Havoc | 98 | 94 | |
| Finishing Drives | 91 | 100 | |
| Quality Drives | 85 | 27 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 9 | 78 |
| PFF Coverage | 11 | 74 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 51 | 68 |
| Middle 8 | 101 | 77 |
| Seconds per Play | 26.9 (54) | 28.9 (103) |
| Rush Rate | 57% (34) | 51% (82) |
Wisconsin vs Northwestern Pick & Prediction
Northwestern won this game outright last year, defeating the Badgers by 14 points in Madison.
Wisconsin is just 2-9-1 against the spread as a favorite of seven points or more in its last 12 games.
Not only that, but this is a great sell-high spot for the Badgers, given the injury luck they have had with their recent opponents.
Northwestern is trending in the right direction and will keep it close at home.
Pick: Northwestern +7.5
Wisconsin vs Northwestern Start Time, Channel, Streaming, How to Watch
| Location: | Ryan Field, Evanston, IL |
| Date: | Saturday, Oct. 19 |
| Kickoff Time: | 12 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | Big Ten Network |
Wisconsin goes head-to-head with Northwestern at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois, on Saturday, October 19, at 12 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
