Week 3: Northwestern vs Southern Illinois 9/17/22 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds
Southern Illinois Salukis (0-0) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (1-1)
September 17, 2022 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: Northwestern Wildcats -12.5 / Southern Illinois Salukis +12.5; Over/Under: -53.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Northwestern Wildcats and Southern Illinois Salukis do battle Saturday in week 3 college football action from Ryan Field.
The Southern Illinois Salukis will look to rebound from a 34-31 loss to Southeastern Missouri State last time out. Nic Baker threw for 248 yards and a pair of scores on 20 of 36 passing while Romeir Elliott had a team-high 64 rushing yards with a TD and Justin Strong had 35 rushing yards with a score as well. Avante Cox led the Salukis’ receiving group with 86 receiving yards and a pair of scores with a team-high 7 receptions while Javon Williams Jr. and D’Ante’ Cox each had 45 receiving yards.
The Northwestern Wildcats will be looking to bounce back from a 31-23 loss to Duke last time out. Ryan Hilinski’s thrown for 749 yards, 4 touchdowns and an interception on 64.3% passing while Evan Hull and Cam Porter have combined for 291 rushing yards and 3 rushing scores. Hull also leads the Wildcats in receiving with 19 catches for 268 yards while Malik Washington and Thomas Gordon each have 100+ receiving yards. Bryce Gallagher and Jeremiah Lewis each have a team-high 13 total tackles with 9 solo tackles while Zander Mueller has a team-high 5 sacks this season.
Southern Illinois is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 non-conference games and 11-4 ATS in their last 15 road games while the over is 6-2 in their last 8 games in September. Northwestern is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall and 3-7-2 ATS in their last 12 games against a team with a losing record while the over is 6-2 in their last 8 games in September.
It’s kind of hard to get a read on this Northwestern team, but from what I’ve seen so far, they overperform in an underdog role and struggle as a favorite. Maybe some will say that the Wildcats shouldn’t have been as heavily favored as they were against Duke, and that may be the case here too. The problem is that the Salukis have been giving up points at an alarming rate and as inconsistent as Northwestern is, this should be a game they win by a couple of scores. Give me the Wildcats laying the points here.
