← Matchups

Penn State

B1G · 2-0 · power +28.5 · #9
Our numberPSU -3.1 no book has priced this game

Northwestern

B1G · 1-0 · power +17.0 · #48
Our side
MoneylinePSU to win ours 28%
Projected score 24–21 PSU – NU
2026-10-02 · 8:00 PM Ryan Field · Evanston, IL B1G game Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

Series Penn State lead 16–6 · 22 meetings since 1993
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game edge Penn State Nittany Lions 178 ranks
Penn State Nittany Lions #35 rush offense Northwestern Wildcats #213 run defense
Pass game even 12 ranks apart
Penn State Nittany Lions #96 pass offense Northwestern Wildcats #108 pass defense
Run game even 36 ranks apart
Northwestern Wildcats #79 rush offense Penn State Nittany Lions #115 run defense
Pass game edge Penn State Nittany Lions 120 ranks
Northwestern Wildcats #170 pass offense Penn State Nittany Lions #50 pass defense
Penn State Nittany Lions Run-heavy · 59% run Ball-control Northwestern Wildcats Balanced · 56% run Ball-control
Terry Smith · 4-3 David Braun · 19-19

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
Penn State Nittany Lions
TE Benjamin Brahmer 6 rec · 87 yds · 3 TD #4 TE
LB Tony Rojas 14 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 2.0 TFL #48 LB
WR Koby Howard 9 rec · 229 yds · 1 TD #71 WR
QB Rocco Becht 539 pass yds · 7 TD · 0 INT #30 QB
Northwestern Wildcats
DB Braden Turner 7 tkl · 3 PD #97 DB
DB Robert Fitzgerald 14 tkl · 1 PD #113 DB
DB Damon Walters 9 tkl · 1 PD · 1 INT #114 DB
DL Brendan Flakes 4 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 1.0 TFL #225 DL

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
Penn State Nittany LionsB1G +28.5 +10.4 +18.1 #9
Northwestern WildcatsB1G +17.0 +3.6 +13.3 #48

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
Penn State offense vs Northwestern defense-2.9 pts
Northwestern offense vs Penn State defense-14.5 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 516 mi

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.