Northwestern vs Washington Prediction & Betting Tips - September 21 | College Football Week 4
The Northwestern Wildcats travel across the country for a Big 10 conference game against the Washington Huskies on Saturday. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. ET, with the game being shown on FS1.
Northwestern is 2-1 and returned to the win column with a 31-17 home win over Eastern Illinois in Week 3. Washington, meanwhile, lost the Apple Cup at home to Washington State 24-19 at home in Week 3.
Northwestern vs Washington Prediction
The Northwestern Wildcats are 10.5-point underdogs on the road against the Washington Huskies. The over/under is set at 43 points. Northwestern and Washington both struggle on offense, which makes this game interesting.
Wildcats quarterback Jack Lausch went 20-for-31 for 227 yards and a touchdown in the win in Week 3. It was Lausch's first start and will once again start for the second straight week as coach David Braun was impressed with his play.
“He’s unfazed by what’s going on around him,” Braun said of Lausch on Saturday, via DailyNorthwestern. “That comes back to a sense of self-confidence. Not ego, not false confidence, but true self-confidence because of his preparation … The young man stayed ready. He got news back in August he didn’t want to hear, but he just continued to plug away.”
Against Washington, Lausch is eager for the challenge and believes he has put the Wildcats in the right position to succeed.
“The great part about football is that there’s always something to get better at,” Lausch said. “We’re all about trying to get better ourselves. Just find ways to do that every day, and I think we’ll put ourselves in the best position possible.”
Washington, meanwhile, is a different team than the one that appeared in the national championship last season. Despite a heartbreaking Apple Cup loss to Washington State, the Huskies look forward to their first Big Ten conference game. This offseason, the Huskies left the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten.
“We’ve just got to flush it and move onto the next week,” safety Kamren Fabiculanan said on Saturday, via SeattleTimes. “Going into conference play, it’s going to be a big week of preparation. Then we’ll just go from there.”
Coach Jedd Fisch says the loss was disappointing but told his team they have the year ahead of them and can still make damage in conference play.
Ultimately, this is a spot that Washington should be able to have success in. Huskies quarterback Will Rogers should be able to carve up the Wildcats' defense en route to a win here.
The cross-country travel should also impact Northwestern, which is why this is a good spot to take the Huskies to rebound with a win in Big Ten play.
Prediction: Washington 27, Northwestern 16
Northwestern vs Washington Betting Tips
Tip 1: Washington -10.5 (-110)
Tip 2: Will Rogers over 269 yards passing (-120)
Tip 3: Jonah Coleman over 70 yards rushing (-160)
Tip 4: Bryce Kirtz over 41 yards receiving (-120)