Western Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction 9/5/2025 Today’s College Football Picks

In this article we will formulate a Western Illinois vs Northwestern prediction for this College Football game on Friday, September 5th at Northwestern Medicine Field in Evanston, Illinois. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this week 2 matchup. 

Western Illinois Leathernecks Betting Preview

The Western Illinois Leathernecks are 0-1 this year after they lost to Illinois by a score of 52-3 in week one. Western Illinois trailed 14-0 after the first quarter and 31-0 at halftime, but they did only allow seven points in the third quarter. The Leathernecks got on the board early in the fourth with a field goal, but allowed the last 14 points in the blowout loss. WIU was out gained by a total of 441-163, went 5-14 on third down, and lost the turnover battle by a total of 1-0. Chris Irvin went 14-29 for 134 yards for Western Illinois, while Markell Holman carried the ball 12 times for just 20 yards and Demari Davis caught four passes for 65 yards. The WIU defense was led by Keith Moko, who recorded nine tackles in the game, while the defense also recorded three sacks. 

Western Illinois was simply not good enough to keep pace with Illinois, but they never gave up and ended up kicking a field goal in the fourth. The Leathernecks have really struggled against FBS opponents recently, as they lost to Northern Illinois by a score of 54-15 and Indiana by a score of 77-3 in 2024. 

Northwestern Wildcats Betting Preview

The Northwestern Wildcats are 0-1 this season after they lost to Tulane by a score of 23-3 last weekend. Northwestern managed to cut the deficit to 7-3 at the end of the first quarter, but they trailed 20-3 at halftime and continued to play very poorly in the second half. The Wildcats only allowed three points after halftime, but they were shutout with too many turnovers in the second half. The Wildcats were out gained by a total of 421-237, went 5-12 on third down, and lost the turnover battle by a total of 5-0. Preston Stone went 19-36 for 161 yards and four interceptions, while Cam Porter rushed six times for 46 yards and Griffin Wilde caught six passes for 64 yards in the loss. The NU defense was led by Robert Fitzgerald, who recorded 13 total tackles, while the defensive unit also had one sack and three tackles for loss on the day. 

Northwestern didn’t play too poorly on defense, but the offense was very bad. The Wildcats need Stone to be better at the quarterback spot, as they aren’t going to win many games with five turnovers. I do expect a bounce back performance in this game, as they need to figure things out before they play Oregon next week. 

Total Points Facts

Each of Northwestern’s last seven home games against non-FBS teams have gone UNDER the total points line.
Northwestern Wildcats Player Prop Facts
Heading into Week 2, Griffin Wilde leads the Big Ten Conference for targets (11) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

Northwestern ranks T1st among FBS teams for red zone percentage this season (100.0).
Northwestern ranks 133rd among FBS teams for points per game this season (3.0).

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Western Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction 

I am definitely concerned with how Northwestern looked in their first game, but they are playing a Western Illinois team that has been awful against FBS opponents. The Leathernecks have not been remotely competitive in their last three FBS games and I expect more of the same here. Northwestern should be able to move the ball as much as they want in this one and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them score 50+. Take Northwestern to cover this huge number.