Michigan State Spartans vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 9/3/2021 College Football Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Friday, September 3, 2021

Location: Ryan Field in Evanston, IL

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Wildcats (-3.5)

Total/Over-Under: 45

The Michigan State Spartans (2-5 last year) are hitting the road to Ryan Field on Friday where they will meet the Northwestern Wildcats (7-2 last season). Michigan State is 3.5-point dogs from Vegas oddsmakers. The total is set at 45.

The Michigan State Spartans finished the year having a 2-5 record. In their last game, the Spartans played the Penn State Nittany Lions and took a loss by a score of 39-24. Jordon Simmons was the rushing leader for the Spartans with 14 attempts for 72 yards (5.1 yds per attempt). Payton Thorne connected on 22/39 with 325 yards through the air and 3 TDs. He had a QB rate of 146.7 and finished the game with 1 pick. When it came to stopping the run, the Spartans conceded 119 yds on 40 tries, which is an average of 3.0 yards per run allowed. Michigan State conceded 20 completions on 30 attempts for a total of 286 yds, and a completion percentage of 66.7%. In the game, they had 69 plays which totaled 396 yds. The Michigan State Spartans ended up running the ball 30 different times and accrued 71 yds, earning them an average of 2.4 yds per attempt.

In terms of putting points on the board, the Michigan State Spartans averaged 18.0 points per game. As a team they averaged 90.7 yds on the ground, which ranked them 125th in college football. The Spartans had 2,307 total yards last season. Michigan State compiled 11 touchdowns through the air and 2 touchdowns via the ground. Michigan State amassed 113 1st downs as a team, and they were called for 48 infractions for 441 yards. They surrendered the ball 20 times.

In terms of yards through the air, the Spartans gave up 1,676 yards which had them ranked 56th in D-1. During their 7 games played last season, they yielded 239.4 yards per contest through the air as well as allowing a completion percentage of 61.2%. They relinquished 396.7 yards/game ranking them 69th in D-1. They gave up 8 touchdowns through the air in addition to 20 touchdowns on the ground. Opposing teams ran for an average of 3.9 yards per rush and 157.3 rushing yards per game last year. Overall, they conceded 1,101 rushing yards through 7 games. The Spartans ranked 113th in the nation regarding team defense, giving up 35.1 PPG.

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The Wildcats wrapped up their season with a 7-2 mark. In their last game, the Wildcats walked away with a victory by a final of 35-19 when they faced the Auburn Tigers. Peyton Ramsey (3 TDs) ended the contest with 291 yds on 24/35 passing while his quarterback rate was 166.7. He didn't toss any interceptions and his average yards per pass attempt was 8.3. Cam Porter ran the football 33 times for 98 yards, walking away from the game with 3.0 yards per carry for Northwestern. The Wildcats finished the game with a total of 457 yds on 86 plays (5.3 yds per play). Northwestern ran the ball for 3.3 yards per attempt, finishing the contest with 166 yds on 51 carries. Northwestern surrendered 26 attempts on the ground for 61 yds (2.3 yards per carry). The Wildcats passing defense allowed a completion percentage of 60.5%, relinquishing 300 yards on 26 out of 43 passing.

The Northwestern Wildcats held an average of 360.7 yards/outing ranking them 95th in Division 1. They threw 8 interceptions while allowing opponents to recover 7 fumbles and they earned 183 1st downs. They averaged 162.8 rushing yards per game and ran for 1,465 yards for the year. The Northwestern offense compiled 364 yds of penalties on 45 violations, which had them ranked 80th in the nation in terms of hurting your team. For the prior season, the Wildcats compiled 1,781 passing yards as well as averaging 197.9 throwing yards per outing, which was ranked 98th in college football. When it comes to their ability to score points, the Wildcats ranked 92nd in Division 1 holding an average of 24.7 PPG.

Northwestern yielded a total of 1,313 yards via the ground game (145.9 yards per contest) as well as 5 touchdowns on the ground throughout last year. Their defense compiled 5 fumbles recovered and 14 picks last season. They allowed 8 touchdowns through the air and 195.3 yards per game, which put them in 31st in college football. The Wildcats defense took the field for 632 plays, which had them ranked 74th in the country. Over the course of the season, they relinquished 143 total points. The Wildcats allowed 15.9 points per game, which put them in 17th in the nation.

Who will win tonight's Spartans/Wildcats college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Spartans +3.5

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