By admin 
After $875 million and almost two years of renovations, Northwestern’s Ryan Field is about to be unveiled to the world. Meanwhile, there’s a big football game between Penn State (3-1) and Northwestern (2-1) teams that each lost their Big Ten openers, but in very different ways.
The Wildcats held up well in an entertaining 29-23 fight at Indiana, and the Nittany Lions collapsed late in a 24-20 thriller against Wisconsin. Now, these two get a lovely place to play their important Friday night conference game.
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Penn State vs Northwestern: Quick Hits
- Penn State gets USC after this, followed up by a date at Michigan.
- Northwestern gets another home game against Ball State next, and then goes to Michigan State for a showdown against former head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
- A loss would make it the second year in a row that Penn State started 0-2 in the Big Ten and 3-2 overall.
How To Watch Penn State vs Northwestern
Date: Friday, October 2, 2026
Game Time: 8:00 PM ET
TV: FOX
Location: Ryan Field, Evanston, IL
– Week 5 Schedule & Predictions
– CFN Top 25 | Bowl Projections
– Predictions For Every Remaining Game
– CFN Expert Picks: Week 5
Why Penn State Will Win
Penn State’s defense might have had issues in the final few minutes against Wisconsin, but it’s been brilliant overall to start the season, especially on third downs.
The Nittany Lions lead the nation in third down stops, allowing teams to convert just 19.2% of their chances. Northwestern is okay offensively on third downs, but the defense allowed Indiana to convert 60% of their tries.
Northwestern doesn’t live off forcing mistakes, but it needs them in this. However, Penn State turned it over just once and has only been flagged 19 times in four games.
Why Northwestern Will Win
Aidan Chiles has been wonderful. The transfer quarterback from Michigan State was amazing over the last two games against Colorado and Indiana, completing over 75% of his passes with five touchdowns and no picks.
He might not be running like he normally does, but his slippery style should be a problem for a Penn State defense that’s not doing much to get into the backfield so far. The Nittany Lions have only come up with six sacks so far.
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Penn State vs Northwestern Prediction, Betting Lines
Penn State’s offense was terrific over the first three games, but that was against Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo. It’ll come out sharp with the midrange passing game, but the running game that’s been missing against everyone but Temple won’t get the invite to the party.
The Nittany Lion defense will hold up well in a tough fight, the offense will pull off a big late scoring drive, and … Northwestern will walk it off with Jackson Kleather – he has yet to miss a kick – hitting the game-winner.
Northwestern 23, Penn State 20
Latest Consensus Line: Penn State -2.5, o/u: 45.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 2
Must See Rating (out of 5): 4
Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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This story was originally published September 29, 2026 at 10:55 PM.