The Northwestern Wildcats (3-0) meet the Purdue Boilermakers (2-0) Saturday in a Big Ten showdown at 5 p.m. ET at Ross-Ade Stadium. Below, we analyze the Northwestern-Purdue college football betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
The Wildcats are 23rd in the Amway Coaches Poll presented by USA TODAY Sports.
Northwestern at Purdue: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 9:50 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Northwestern -162 (bet $162 to win $100) | Purdue +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
- Against the spread/ATS: Northwestern -3.5 (-106) | Purdue +3.5 (-115)
- Over/Under: 49.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Northwestern at Purdue: Three things to know
- Northwestern is sticking to what it knows best: Defense and the run game. The Wildcats rank fourth in opponent’s points per game and 31st in rushing yards per game.
- Purdue has yet to play in November and is coming out of a bye week. The Boilermakers beat Illinois 31-24 Oct. 31 but failed to cover as 9.5-point favorites.
- The Wildcats are 4-0 ATS in their last four games in Purdue and the road team is 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings.
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Northwestern at Purdue: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Northwestern 20, Purdue 17
Money line (ML)
The reported betting handle of this game shows the sharp side is NORTHWESTERN (-162). According to Pregame.com, 81% of the money bet is on the Wildcats while 63% of the bets placed are on Purdue (+135).
Typically the team that has more money wagered is the sharp side and the side with the most tickets is more of the public team. It makes sense, as Purdue is an undefeated home team playing against a conference rival, coming off a bye week and is the program with a richer football history.
Northwestern has played only three games so it’s not like Purdue’s rest advantage gives much of an edge.
Also, Northwestern is way more efficient than Purdue. The Wildcats rank higher in net yards per play, points per play, third-down and red-zone conversion differentials.
It’s expensive so consider putting this money line in a parlay with a similarly priced favorite but I’d put a unit on NORTHWESTERN (-162).
Against the spread (ATS)
We came to the party a little late and the market has steamed up the number to Northwestern -3.5 (-106) from the opener of a pick ‘em. Furthermore, I wouldn’t recommend buying the number from 3.5 down to Northwestern -2.5 (-139) since you can just pay an extra 37 cents on the dollar for an outright win. STICK WITH THE MONEY LINE.
Over/Under (O/U)
The weather forecast predicts a cool (45 degrees), rainy (50% chance of rain) and windy (16 mph projected winds) Northwestern-Purdue game. Northwestern’s defense is one of the best units in the Big Ten and money has been hitting the Under, bringing the total down to its current number.
The Wildcats typically play lower scored games. The Under is 5-1 in Northwestern’s last six road games. Additionally, 48 is considered a key number in football so let’s BET UNDER 49.5 (-110) while we still can.
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