The Northwestern Wildcats and the Nebraska Cornhuskers meet Saturday in college football action from Memorial Stadium Lincoln. Each team will be well-rested here, as they’re both coming off bye weeks. Northwestern is 3-3 overall on the season following a tight win over Howard in their last outing. As for Nebraska, they sit at 3-3 so far as well following a win versus Illinois back on October 6. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Northwestern Wildcats

The Wildcats have been quite the mixed bag so far this year, as they’ve taken on a wide range of opponents in their first three games. Northwestern has alternated wins with losses so far, falling to Rutgers 24-7, Duke 38-14 and Penn State 41-13. The wins otherwise have come courtesy of UTEP 38-7, Minnesota 37-34 (OT) and Howard 23-20. 

In the win over the Bison on October 7, the Wildcats had a 23-7 lead going into the fourth quarter but ended up having to hold on tight for the victory. QB Brendan Sullivan finished with 131 yards and two scores on 13-of-18 passing, and Cam Porter paced the rush with 18 carries for 78 yards. Cam Johnson led the receivers with 55 yards and a score off four catches. 

Northwestern Wildcats Team Facts

• Northwestern has lost each of its last nine road games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Northwestern has covered the spread in five of its last six matches as an underdog when playing with a rest disadvantage.
• Northwestern has lost the first half in nine of its last 10 road games against conference opponents.
• Each of Northwestern’s last four October games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.

Nebraska Cornhuskers 

Over on the Cornhuskers’ side, they lost their first two games this year, falling to Minnesota 13-10 and Colorado 36-14. Nebraska has picked it up on a 3-1 run in their last four games however, falling to only Michigan 45-7. The wins otherwise came versus Northern Illinois 35-11, Louisiana Tech 28-14 and Illinois 20-7 to move the team to .500 overall this season. 

Matched up against Illinois a couple Fridays ago, the Cornhuskers were up 17-7 at the break then hit a 3-0 edge in the second half. Heinrich Haarberg threw for 154 yards and an interception while also leading the rush with 18 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. Anthony Grant added 20 carries for 56 yards and a score as well. 

Nebraska Cornhuskers Team Facts

• Nebraska has lost five of its last six matches as a favorite when playing with a rest advantage.
• Nebraska has covered the spread in seven of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Five of Nebraska’s last six games in October have gone UNDER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

Northwestern has recorded the equal-most home wins by a margin of three points or less of any FBS team this season (2).

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’m probably going to stick with Nebraska in this one. The Cornhuskers really need to sharpen things up after their last outing, though. In the win over Illinois, Nebraska posted 312 total yards (154 passing) and a tepid 18 first downs and a 5-of-15 rate on third-down conversions. The three turnovers (two fumbles) and 10 penalties for 70 yards didn’t help matters, but the defense did a good job at keeping a struggling Illini team in check. That makes 20 or fewer points in four of six games so far this year for Nebraska; I’d like to see a better total in this one. 

As for Northwestern, they played a pretty mediocre offensive game versus Howard (312 total yards; 131 passing yards) but to be fair they had the game firmly in control most of the way. The Wildcats have hit 23 or more points in all three of their wins, so they’ll want to hit the scoreboard early in this matchup. Should be a pretty good game overall, but I like the Cornhuskers better cover-wise.