Northwestern Wildcats (2-0) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (3-0)
September 25, 2026 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Indiana Hoosiers -23.5; Over/Under: 47.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Northwestern Wildcats and the Indiana Hoosiers meet Friday in college football action from Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. Here’s an Indiana vs Northwestern prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Indiana vs Northwestern pick.
Northwestern Wildcats Betting Preview
Northwestern kicked off their 2026 campaign with a matchup versus South Dakota State. In that one the Wildcats scored points in every quarter (including 17 in the fourth) on the way to a 34-18 victory. QB Aidan Chiles was 14-of-24 for 273 yards and a score while Joseph Himon had four carries for 87 yards and a touchdown. Lead receiver Griffin Wilde had three grabs for 104 yards.
In their matchup versus Colorado last Saturday in primetime, the Wildcats jumped out to a 21-0 lead by the break. Northwestern ended up scoring in every quarter along the way to a 41-7 blowout victory at home. Chiles was 17-of-22 this time for 241 yards and three touchdowns. Tops in receiving was Wilde once again with five grabs for 85 yards in the win.
Indiana Hoosiers Betting Preview
Over on the Indiana side, they’ve got three games in the bag so far. The first one was a pretty routine opener at home versus North Texas. The Hoosiers scored points in every quarter (with 21 in the fourth alone) during a 52-16 victory. Game two versus Howard was another big blowout for Indiana. The Hoosiers scored 41 points in the first half during a 55-0 win.
Matched up against Western Kentucky last weekend the Hoosiers surprisingly didn’t find the scoreboard in the first quarter. That all changed with 31 points in the second and third however, leading to a 38-0 blowout win. QB Josh Hoover was 18-of-24 for 273 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Turbo Richard (15 carries; 149 yards; TD) and Lee Beebe (17 carries; 50 yards; two TDs) topped the rushers.
Northwestern Wildcats @ Indiana Hoosiers Betting Trends: Week 4
Indiana Hoosiers Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 4, Charlie Becker ranks T2nd amongst FBS players for receiving touchdowns (6) this season.
Northwestern Wildcats Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 4, Caleb Komolafe ranks T1st amongst qualified players for catch rate (100.0%) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Indiana has recorded the equal-most home wins by a margin of 10+ points of any FBS team this season (3).
- Indiana has recorded the equal-most home wins by a margin of 15+ points of any FBS team this season (3).
- Northwestern ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q1 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Northwestern ranks 138th among FBS teams for 1st downs this season (19).
Indiana vs Northwestern Prediction
I’ll stick with Northwestern. The Wildcats rolled right past Colorado in their last game, notching 423 yards (182 rushing), 5.8 yards per play and 21 first downs. The defense came up with four takeaways and held the Buffaloes to just 4-of-12 on third downs. Northwestern went a tepid 5-of-13 on third downs themselves and had eight penalties for 60 yards, so it wasn’t perfect. That said, if the Wildcats play well here I think they’ll hang around.
As for Indiana, they eventually bagged 513 yards (233 rushing) in the win over WKU alongside 7.8 yards per play and 24 first downs. The Hoosiers struggled on third downs (2-of-10) but with the defense only allowing 186 yards on the other side it hardly mattered. That defensive unit could make life difficult for Northwestern here.
