The 2023 college football season is underway and the second of seven Big Ten on CBS games this fall will take place on Sunday when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights host the Northwestern Wildcats on CBS and Paramount+. Rutgers is coming off a 4-8 season but will have Greg Schiano entering his fourth season back at the helm. Meanwhile, Northwestern went 1-11 in 2022 and fired Pat Fitzgerald in the summer because of a hazing scandal. However, Rutgers is only a season removed from participating in a bowl game while Northwestern has gone to a bowl game 12 times in the last 20 years.
Kickoff is noon ET on CBS and Paramount+. The Scarlet Knights are 6-point favorites in the latest Rutgers vs. Northwestern odds from the SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 39.5. Before locking in any Northwestern vs. Rutgers picks, you need to see the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
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The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past seven years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed the model has seen huge returns.
Now the model has dialed in on Rutgers vs. Northwestern and just revealed its coveted picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are the college football odds and trends for Northwestern vs. Rutgers:
- Rutgers vs. Northwestern spread: Rutgers -6
- Rutgers vs. Northwestern over/under: 39.5 points
- Rutgers vs. Northwestern money line: Rutgers -229, Northwestern +188
- RUT: 5-0 ATS in last five openers
- NWEST: 6-12 ATS in last 18 games
- Rutgers vs. Northwestern picks: See picks here
- Rutgers vs. Northwestern streaming: Paramount+
- Rutgers vs. Northwestern TV channel: CBS
Why Rutgers can cover
Rutgers should be in a position to make vast improvements, especially on defense where it has seven starters returning. The entire defensive coaching staff also returns and leading tackler Deion Jennings returns to anchor that unit. The Scarlet Knights started the year strong on that side of the ball but fizzled late.
Offensively, the Scarlet Knights lost a lot of production but that could be a good thing considering the team only averaged 13.0 points per game against FBS opponents. Samuel Brown V is back at running back after rushing for 374 yards and three touchdowns last season and should be a focal point of the offense. This year there will be no excuses for Schiano's roster to be lacking depth. See picks at SportsLine.
Why Northwestern can cover
Fitzgerald was the winningest coach in program history and the administration didn't have plans on firing him until conducting an investigation into hazing allegations. However, a chance for a reset might not be the worst thing for a program that has failed to earn bowl eligibility in three of the last four seasons, winning three games or fewer in 2022, 2021 and 2019.
The Wildcats are hoping that their offense will be dramatically improved after the offseason addition of Ben Bryant, who was a starting quarterback at Cincinnati and Eastern Michigan. Bryant has thrown for 6,405 yards and 37 touchdowns in his collegiate career and he should develop a quick rapport with fellow transfer Cam Johnson, who had 134 catches for 1,317 yards and 10 touchdowns while playing for Vanderbilt and Arizona State. See picks at SportsLine.
How to make Rutgers vs. Northwestern picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 34 points. It also has an against-the-spread pick where one side has all the value. You can see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Northwestern vs. Rutgers, and which side has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up almost $2,500 on top-rated spread picks over the past seven years, and find out, and don't forget to stream Northwestern vs. Rutgers on Paramount+.
