Prediction, Game Analysis, and Betting Odds for Northwestern vs Purdue

For the loser, this is pretty much the end of the 2024 season.

Purdue is already 1-6 and has not beaten an FBS team yet. If they lose at Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State, or Indiana, it will not go to a bowl game. But this is their last real chance to finally win.

Northwestern has fallen apart. It is a “everything has to go right” team, but lately they have lost five games by more than 10 points, including a huge win over Maryland where everything went right.

The team is 3–5 and is still kind of in the running for a bowl game, but they have to beat Purdue or else they will have to play Ohio State, Michigan, and Illinois in a row.

Northwestern vs Purdue Preview

Northwestern vs Purdue How to Watch
Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024
Game Time: 12:00 pm ET
Venue: Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, IN
How to Watch: Big Ten Network
Purdue (1-6), Northwestern (3-5)

Why Northwestern Will Win

Northwestern has trouble scoring, but this is a game where the ground game should finally be able to shine.

And while Purdue’s defense has gotten better, the running game is still the most important thing. It has not done anything all year and has not topped 150 yards against any FBS team.

Hit hard—Northwestern needs to set a season high in carries in this—and the trickle will turn into a flood in no time.

They do not score for Purdue. In four of the last six games, it did not score more than ten points, but…

Why Purdue Will Win

Northwestern’s not able to run.

With Purdue’s defense being so weak, it might seem like a good idea to attack on the ground, but the Wildcats can not make any kind of push.

As for Purdue, the front seven has really gotten better. They held Oregon to less than four yards per carry, but they did score three touchdowns, and they lost harder than they did in the beginning of the Big Ten season.

Northwestern can not hide with this because it does not have enough pop. It only slammed Maryland because it had four things to learn. Purdue does not have a huge turnover issue, but…

Northwestern vs Purdue: Who Will Win

The defense for the Boilermakers does not take the ball away.

To be fair, it got better over the last three games, when they took four balls away. But that was the only time all year that they did that.

Their defense will hold up, but their offense, which is the second worst in the country, will get stuck too often. Oh, this is not going to be pretty at all, but it will be beautiful for Penn State.