Penn State at Northwestern Best Pick, Prediction and Odds

No. 13 Penn State visits Northwestern on Friday 2 October, at Ryan Field in Evanston, with kickoff at 8:00 PM ET. Penn State opened as a 7-point favorite. Rankings are from the AP poll for week 4.

This is the early page for the game: what is already known. Our full prediction, with the call and the numbers behind it, goes up on this page before kickoff.

The two teams in 2026, through 23 September

Penn State is 3-0 this season. Most recently it beat Buffalo 55-13 at home on 19 September. It has scored 42.3 points a game and allowed 7.3.

Northwestern is 2-0 this season. Most recently it beat Colorado 41-7 at home on 19 September. It has scored 37.5 points a game and allowed 12.5.

Last season

Penn State went 7-6 in 2025, scoring 31.0 points a game and allowing 20.5. Its season ended with a win against Clemson, 22-10.

Northwestern went 7-6 in 2025, scoring 23.4 points a game and allowing 19.8. Its season ended with a win against Central Michigan, 34-7.

The last meeting in the two seasons read: Northwestern beat Penn State 22-21 on 11 October 2025.

The early line

At DraftKings, read 24 September 2026, Northwestern is +7. The total is 48.5. The moneylines price Northwestern to win 29.5% of the time, with the margin removed.

Lines move through the week. The full prediction reads them again on the day it goes up.

The teams

The Penn State Nittany Lions and Northwestern Wildcats team pages hold both schedules and last season’s results. Every game this week is on our college football predictions page.

Penn State at Northwestern, Friday 2 October, 8:00 PM ET, at Ryan Field in Evanston. Results: ESPN, read 24 September 2026. Line: DraftKings via ESPN, read 2026-09-24 05:06 UTC. Rankings: 2026 NCAA Football Rankings – AP Poll Week 4.