Michigan State vs. Northwestern Pick
Big Ten rivals meet in East Lansing on Saturday when No. 8 Northwestern takes on Michigan State at 3:30 p.m. ET. Will the Wildcats cover as double-digit road favorites or are the Spartans a live home dog?
Game Snapshot
179 Northwestern Wildcats (-13) at 180 Michigan State Spartans (+13); o/u 41.5
Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, November 28, 2020
TV: ESPN2
Northwestern Wildcats Game Notes
Northwestern redshirt senior QB Peyton Ramsey completed 23-of-44 passes for 203 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Saturday’s 17-7 victory against Wisconsin. There weren’t a lot of bright spots on either side in a game which was dominated by the defense, and Ramsey (6’2/220) managed just 4.6 yards per attempt. But with the rush game limited to just 24 yards and 1.0 yard per attempt, the quarterback’s production looks a lot better. Ramsey has the surprising Wildcats off to a 5-0 conference start, and a commanding lead in the West Division of the Big Ten. The former Indiana signal caller has tossed two or more touchdowns in each of his past three outings, too. Next up is a schedule trip to Michigan State on Saturday.
Michigan State Spartans Game Notes
Michigan State redshirt junior QB Rocky Lombardi completed three-of-seven passes for 21 yards and two interceptions in a 24-0 loss to Indiana. Lombardi (6’4/225) was nothing short of terrible today, throwing almost as many interceptions as he had completions before getting pulled in favor of backup quarterback Payton Thorne. One of his interceptions put Indiana in the red zone which they promptly converted into a 16-yard touchdown two plays later. The Hoosiers never looked back from there, as Michigan State turned the ball over four times and amassed a meager 191 yards of offense. For his part, Thorne completed 10-of-20 passes for 110 yards and an interception, so it wasn’t like he fared much better. A quarterback competition could be brewing in East Lansing ahead of next Saturday’s game against Maryland.
Northwestern vs. Michigan State Betting Prediction
The Wildcats are 8-0 against the spread in their last eight trips to East Lansing, while the road team is 14-2 against the number in their last 16 meetings between these two teams overall. Northwestern is also 5-0-1 against the number in its last six conference games, is 4-1-1 against the spread in its last six games as a road favorite and is 35-16-1 at the betting window in its last 52 road games. The Spartans, meanwhile, are 2-14 against the spread in their last 16 home games, are 1-8 against the number in their last nine games in November and are 5-16 at the betting window in their last 21 games overall.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 13 BETTING PREDICTION: NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS -13
