Northwestern (3-2) vs Penn State (3-2)
October 11, 2025 at 03:30 PM EDT
The Line: Betting Odds: Penn State -21.5 — Over/Under: +47.5
The Northwestern Wildcats and the Penn State Nittany Lions meet in week 7 college football action from Beaver Stadium on Saturday. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Northwestern Wildcats vs. Penn State Nittany Lions prediction.
Northwestern Wildcats Recap
The Northwestern Wildcats come into this game looking to add on to their 42-7 win over Louisiana-Monroe last time out to sit at 3-2 on the year. After this game, Northwestern will head home for a game against Purdue.
Wildcats Win Back-To-Back Games
Preston Stone has thrown for 918 yards, 7 touchdowns and 6 interceptions on 61.5% passing while Caleb Komolafe has a team-high 344 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. Joseph Himon II also has 208 rushing yards while Griffin Wilde leads Northwestern’s receivers with 25 grabs for 375 yards and 2 touchdowns so far this season. On defense, Robert Fitzgerald leads Northwestern with 42 total tackles while Mac Uihlein has 34 total tackles and a pair of interceptions. As a unit, Northwestern’s defense has combined for 9 sacks and 2 interceptions so far this season.
Penn State Nittany Lions Recap
The Penn State Nittany Lions come into this game looking to shake off a 42-37 loss to UCLA last time out to drop to 3-2 this season. After this game, Penn State will head on the road for a game against Iowa.
Nittany Lions Hoping To Avoid Third Straight Upset
Drew Allar has thrown for 963 yards, 8 touchdowns and 2 interceptions on 64.7% passing while Kaytron Allen has a team-high 377 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground this season. Nicholas Singleton also has 239 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns. Kyron Hudson leads the Nittany Lions with 208 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns while Trebor Pena and Luke Reynolds each have 18 catches for 197 yards. Devonte Ross has 125 receiving yards and 3 TDs while Khalil Dinkins has 105 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. On defense, Amare Campbell has a team-high 47 total tackles along with a pair of sacks while the Penn State defense as a whole has combined for 12 sacks and 4 interceptions so far this season.
Northwestern Wildcats @ Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Trends: Week 7
Why the Penn State Nittany Lions will win
- Penn State has won each of its last 20 home games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Northwestern has lost seven of its last eight road games in October.
- The home team has covered the spread in four of Northwestern’s last five games.
- Northwestern has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Northwestern has lost the first half in four of its last five games against conference opponents.
Why the Northwestern Wildcats will win
- Penn State has lost each of its last three games against conference opponents.
- Northwestern has won each of its last three games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Penn State has failed to cover the spread in each of its last six games.
- The road team has covered the spread in each of the last five games between Northwestern and Penn State.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Penn State’s last six games against conference opponents have gone OVER the total points line.
- Each of Northwestern’s last four road games against conference opponents have gone OVER the total points line.
Penn State Nittany Lions Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 7, Ryan Barker ranks T10th amongst FBS players for made field goals (10) this season.
Northwestern Wildcats Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 7, Hunter Welcing ranks T1st amongst qualified players for catch rate (100.0%) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Penn State has recorded the equal-most home wins by a margin of 15+ points of any FBS team this season (3).
- Penn State has recorded the equal-most home wins by a margin of 20+ points of any FBS team this season (3).
- Northwestern has recorded the equal-most home wins by a margin of five points or less of any FBS team this season (1).
- Northwestern has recorded the equal-most home wins by a margin of three points or less of any FBS team this season (1).
Northwestern Wildcats vs. Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction
I’m on Northwestern here. I get that Penn State needs to keep winning out to have any hopes of saving face, but I think the loss to UCLA knocking them from 7th in the rankings to out completely tells me that any hopes in the college football playoff are done. You have to wonder at that point where these Nittany Lions are at mentally in that regard and I just don’t think that Penn State runs it up enough to win by this many points. I think we have like a 28-10 kind of game here so give me Northwestern and the points here.