Northwestern Wildcats vs Indiana Hoosiers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/25/2026

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, September 25, 2026

Venue:  Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Northwestern +22.5, Indiana -22.5; Over/Under:  49.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Northwestern +21.5, Indiana -21.5; Over/Under:  49.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Northwestern +21, Indiana -21; Over/Under:  49.5 points

Northwestern Wildcats:  2-0 (0-0) (9th place, Big Ten)

Indiana Hoosiers:  3-0 (0-0) (3rd place, Big Ten)

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Northwestern Wildcats:  won their last game at home against the Colorado Buffaloes 41-7.

Indiana Hoosiers:  won their last game at home against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 38-0.

Northwestern is entering this game with a 2-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 0-0 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 Colorado 41-7. Aidan Chiles was the starting QB and he completed 17/22 passes for 241 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Caleb Komolafe led the team in rushing yards with 49. Griffin Wilde led the receivers with 85 receiving yards on 5 receptions. Robert Fitzgerald led the defense in that game with 11 tackles while Kobie McKinzie led the defense in sacks with 1. Braden Turner and Ore Adeyi each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Indiana is entering this game with a 3-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 3-0 in their home games, 0-0 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 Western Kentucky 38-0. Josh Hoover was the starting QB and he completed 18/24 passes for 273 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Turbo Richard led the team in rushing yards with 149 and 1 TD. Charlie Becker led the receivers with 127 receiving yards on 5 receptions and 1 TD. Rolijah Hardy led the defense in that game with 9 tackles while Tobi Osunsanmi led the defense in sacks with 1. Isaiah Jones came away with the only interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Indiana listed as a 22.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Indiana has looked good in their games this season with their 3-0 record overall so far. They have looked great on their home field too with their 3-0 home record this season. Meanwhile, Northwestern has looked good in their games this season with their 2-0 record overall so far. They haven't played any road games though and will be playing their 1st road game of the season here. Northwestern is coming off a 41-7 win over Colorado in their last one and they had complete control of that game from start to finish. As good as they were in that win, Colorado still isn't a great power 4 team and this is going to be one of their biggest challenges of the season. Indiana is coming off a 38-0 win over Western Kentucky in their last one and even though the offense didn't look great at times, the defense did. They had one of the best defenses in the nation last season and they are just as talented this year. The offense still has plenty of talent too and even though they have looked sluggish at times, they haven't really been trying in these first few games. Indiana had a similar start to the season last year against their lesser opponents and they ended up going undefeated. They still haven't lost a game in over a year and now that the conference schedule is starting, they are going to start ramping up their play soon. Northwestern has been improving a lot over the last 2 years, but they still aren't a great team in the conference and they don't have the talent to compete with Indiana. Indiana's defense has put up back-to-back shutouts now too, so Northwestern is going to have a lot of trouble putting up points here in their 1st road game and Indiana won't even need to score a lot to clear this number. The best way to place a bet here is on Indiana to cover the spread in this game. 

Northwestern Indiana Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Friday, September 25, 2026 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Indiana 35 Northwestern 3.

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Northwestern Wildcats: 1-5 ATS off 2 consecutive home wins by 14 points or more. 6-11 1H ATS off a home blowout win by 28 points or more. 23-14 OVER in a road game where the total is between 49.5 and 56. 11-5 OVER vs. good passing defenses - allowing 150 or less passing yards/game. 

Indiana Hoosiers: 7-3 ATS off 2 consecutive home wins by 14 points or more. 24-12 ATS after 3 or more consecutive straight up wins. 22-12 OVER after 3 or more consecutive losses against the spread. 37-21 OVER in a home game where the total is between 49.5 and 56. 18-8 OVER off a home blowout win by 28 points or more.

Northwestern Wildcats:  H. Eligon II (WR) Questionable - Lower Body.

Indiana Hoosiers:  N. Radicic (K) Out - Back. L. Bond (WR) Out - Undisclosed.

“There were some plays that certainly went off-script, but his athleticism and his ability to keep the his eyes downfield, that's really hard to defend.” - David Braun after his team’s win against Colorado in their last game. 

“Usually in these kinds of situations when were’ not quite where we want to be against a team that most people think we’re better than — and we are — I just talk to them and say, ‘Let’s play our game. Just relax.’” - Curt Cignetti after his team’s win against WKU in their last game. 

WR Ahumaraeze, Ricky

WR Wilde, Griffin

WR Wagner, Drew

TE Dehnicke, Luke

QB Chiles, Aidan

RB Komolafe, Caleb

WR Preston, Shazz

WR Becker, Charlie

WR Morris, Tyler

TE Barker, Andrew

QB Hoover, Josh

RB Richard, Turbo

Passing: Aidan Chiles (514)

Rushing: Gavin Sawchuk (117)

Receiving: Griffin Wilde (189)

Touchdowns: Joseph Himon II (4)

Passing: Josh Hoover (649)

Rushing: Turbo Richard (315)

Receiving: Charlie Becker (272)

Touchdowns: Charlie Becker (6)

Coaches:

Northwestern Wildcats: David Braun (4th season)

Indiana Hoosiers: Curt Cignetti (3rd season)