The Michigan Wolverines, co-leaders in the Big Ten's Legends Division, will look to avoid a stumble when they host the pesky Northwestern Wildcats Saturday afternoon at the Big House (noon ET, ESPN).

Big Blue, tied with Nebraska for the division lead, was an early 11-point favorite over the 'Cats.



View Northwestern vs Michigan Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Fans backing the Wolverines here saw them open at Sportsbook as 13-point favorites in this college football clash. (Check back shortly for Sportsbook totals at sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark as none was available at the time this preview was written.)

Power Rankings / Prediction: According to the Power Rankings here at OddsShark it's the No. 17-rated Wolverines and the No. 96-rated Wildcats in this matchup. Predictive formulas point to a 37-33 win for the Wolverines on Saturday.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Michigan's No. 61-ranked offense (28.8 PPG) against a Wildcats defense that ranks No. 35 at 22.3 PPG. The Wolverines passing attack has averaged 178.4 yards per game, less than the Wildcats give up through the air (272.4 YPG on average).

Defensively, the Wildcats feature the league's No. 40-rated road run defense, allowing 144.3 yards per game. Michigan, meanwhile, ranks No. 13 in rushing offense at home.

Northwestern won its last outing, a 28-17 result against Iowa on October 27. Northwestern covered in that game as a 4-point favorite, while the 45 combined points took the game UNDER the total. Kain Colter tore up the turf for 166 rushing yards in the latest Wildcats game, a 28-17 win over the Hawkeyes at Ryan Field.

Michigan was a 35-13 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against Minnesota. They covered the 9.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score (48) made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. Michigan cruised to victory in its last outing, as they ran up a 35-13 score against Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium.


Northwestern Wildcats Trends:
When playing in November are 6-4
When playing on turf are 6-4
After outgaining opponent are 7-3
When playing within the conference are 6-4

Michigan Wolverines Trends:
When playing in November are 6-4
When playing on turf are 8-2
After outgaining opponent are 8-2
When playing within the conference are 8-2

A few Wildcats at Wolverines trends to consider:
Northwestern is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Northwestern's last 5 games when playing Michigan
Northwestern is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Northwestern's last 7 games on the road
Michigan is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Michigan is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Northwestern
Michigan is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Michigan's last 5 games when playing Northwestern


Next up:
Northwestern at Michigan State, Saturday, November 17
Michigan home to Iowa, Saturday, November 17