After blowing a lead and a chance at a 6-0 start vs. Penn State, Northwestern looks to rebound when it visits 4-1 Minnesota for a Big Ten bout Saturday afternoon (noon ET, ESPN2).

The Wildcats, who are also 5-1 ATS this year, were early 3.5-point favorites over the Gophers, who had last week off.



View Northwestern vs Minnesota Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Bettors looking to side with the Golden Gophers in this one found them as 3.5-point underdogs at Sportsbook. The over under number was slated to open a short time later.

Power Rankings / Prediction: The Golden Gophers sit at No. 57 in the current NCAAF Power Rankings here at OddsShark, while the Wildcats are at No. 99 on that chart. Math models have concluded that the Wildcats will win this game 35-32.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Minnesota's No. 75-ranked offense (26.4 PPG) against a Wildcats defense that ranks No. 50 at 23.7 PPG. The Golden Gophers passing attack has averaged 217.2 yards per game, less than the Wildcats give up through the air (287.8 YPG on average).

Defensively, the Wildcats feature the league's No. 42-rated road run defense, allowing 137.5 yards per game. Minnesota, meanwhile, ranks No. 68 in rushing offense at home.

Northwestern was a 39-28 loser in their most recent outing on the road against Penn State. They failed to cover the 3-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (67) made winners of OVER bettors. In their last game, the Wildcats were Week 6 losers coming out on the wrong end of 39-28 score against Penn State.

In their last action, Minnesota was a 31-13 loser on the road against Iowa. They failed to cover the 6-point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (44) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. In their last game, the Golden Gophers were Week 5 losers coming out on the wrong end of 31-13 score against Iowa.


Northwestern Wildcats Trends:
When playing in October are 3-7
When playing on turf are 6-4
After being outgained are 3-7
When playing within the conference are 4-6

Minnesota Golden Gophers Trends:
When playing in October are 2-8
When playing on turf are 6-4
After being outgained are 2-8
When playing within the conference are 3-7

A few Wildcats at Golden Gophers trends to consider:
Northwestern is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Northwestern's last 6 games on the road
Northwestern is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Northwestern is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Northwestern


Next up:
Northwestern home to Nebraska, Saturday, October 20
Minnesota at Wisconsin, Saturday, October 20