Northern Illinois vs NC State Prediction College Football Picks 9/28/24

The Northern Illinois Huskies and NC State Wolfpack meet Saturday in week 5 college football action at Carter-Finley Stadium. Here’s a Northern Illinois vs NC State Prediction. This article will include a Northern Illinois vs NC State Pick.

Northern Illinois Huskies Betting Preview

The Northern Illinois Huskies beat Notre Dame, lost to Buffalo, and play Massachusetts next. Northern Illinois has split its last 6 road games. Ethan Hampton is completing 62.2 percent of his passes for 720 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Antario Brown and Grayson Barnes have combined for 331 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns, while Trayvon Rudolph has 6 receptions.

The Northern Illinois Huskies ground game is averaging 222.3 yards per contest, and Brown leads the way with 241 yards and 2 touchdowns. Defensively, Northern Illinois is allowing 17.3 points and 256 yards per game. Christian Fuhrman leads the Northern Illinois Huskies with 19 tackles, Nevaeh Sanders has 3 sacks and Amariyun Knighten has 1 interception.

NC State Wolfpack Betting Preview

The NC State Wolfpack beat Louisiana Tech, lost to Clemson, and plays Wake Forest next. NC State has won 6 straight home games. Grayson McCall is completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 476 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Kevin Concepcion and Justin Joly have combined for 464 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns, while Noah Rogers has 8 receptions.

The NC State Wolfpack ground game is averaging 144.3 yards per contest, and Jordan Waters leads the way with 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. Defensively, NC State is allowing 37.8 points and 414.5 yards per game. Caden Fordham leads the NC State Wolfpack with 28 tackles, Davin Vann has 1.5 sacks and Bishop Fitzgerald has 1 interception.

Why the NC State Wolfpack will win

• NC State has won each of its last six games at Carter-Finley Stadium.
• Northern Illinois has lost each of its last five September games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Northern Illinois has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five games after coming off overtime.

Total Points Facts

• Seven of Northern Illinois’ last eight September games as an underdog have gone OVER the total points line.
• Six of NC State’s last eight games as a favorite have gone UNDER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• NC State ranks 128th among FBS teams for points allowed per game this season (37.8).
• NC State ranks 7th among FBS teams for Q4 points per game this season (13.0).
• Northern Illinois ranks 9th among FBS teams for H1 opponent points per game this season (4.3).
• Northern Illinois ranks 15th among FBS teams for yards allowed per game this season (256.0).

Northern Illinois vs NC State Prediction

The NC State Wolfpack are 0-4 ATS on the season and have failed to cover their last 5 games overall. Northern Illinois earned some bandwagon jumpers after a win over Notre Dame, but it followed up that result with a loss to Buffalo as 13-point favorites. Will the real Northern Illinois please stand up? While not showing much resistance defensively, NC State is the more talented team, and it is only a matter of time before that running game really gets going. I’d need more points to consider Northern Illinois. I’ll take NC State by a full touchdown.