Iowa Hawkeyes vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 11/7/2026 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Iowa Hawkeyes vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026

Location: Ryan Field in Evanston, IL

TV: FOX

Odds/Point Spread: Wildcats (-2.5)

Total/Over-Under: 44.5

The Northwestern Wildcats (6-2) are welcoming the Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2) at Ryan Field on Saturday, November 7, 2026. Iowa opens this contest as 2.5-point dogs. The betting total is set at 44.5.

The Iowa Hawkeyes head into this matchup 6-2 for this season. In their last contest, the Hawkeyes played the Wisconsin Badgers and notched a win by a score of 30-0. On the ground, the Hawkeyes gave up 52 yds on 24 attempts, which is an average of 2.2 yds per run allowed. Iowa gave up 13 pass completions on 27 attempts for a total of 183 yards, and a completion rate of 48.1%. Overall, they tallied 66 plays which gave them 362 yds. The Iowa Hawkeyes ended up running the ball 42 times and totaled 140 yards, which came out to an average of 3.3 yards per attempt.

The Hawkeyes have attained 3,069 yards in total for the year. In terms of getting the ball in the endzone, Iowa has amassed 12 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing touchdowns. They have turned the ball over 8 different times. Iowa has compiled 160 1st downs as an offense, and they have committed 45 infractions for 355 yds. As a team they hold an average of 174.3 yards on the ground which is 48th in the country. Regarding scoring points, the Iowa Hawkeyes are sitting at 28.3 points per game.

Regarding passing yards, the Hawkeyes have allowed 1,572 yds which ranks them 38th in D-1. They have yielded 196.5 yards per outing through the air in addition to giving up a completion percentage of 57.3%. For the year, they are granting 275.5 yards/game which puts them 12th in the country. They have yielded 9 touchdowns through the air as well as 2 touchdowns on the ground. They are giving up 2.4 yards per rushing attempt and 79.0 rushing yards per contest on the season. Over the course of this year, they have given up 632 yards via the running game in 8 games. The Hawkeyes are sitting in 4th in the nation in terms of their opponents scoring, conceding 12.5 PPG.

Get all of our College Football Picks Against the Spread

The Wildcats step onto the field holding a record of 6-2 for this season. For their last game, the Wildcats walked away with a loss by a score of 34-26 against the Oregon Ducks. The Wildcats finished the game with a total of 456 yards while running 74 plays (6.2 yds per play). Northwestern ran the football for 4.9 yds per carry, totaling 175 yards on 36 attempts. Northwestern conceded 28 running attempts for 105 yards (3.8 yards per carry). The Wildcats passing defense gave up a completion rate of 71.0%, relinquishing 336 yards on 22 out of 31 passing.

The Northwestern Wildcats are averaging 438.1 yards per contest, which ranks them 28th in Division 1. The Northwestern offense has totaled 414 yds of penalties on 56 infractions, which has them sitting 50th in D-1 in terms of hurting your team. They maintain an average of 200.9 yards per game via the ground game and have toted the ball for 1,607 yards for the season. They have given away 1 picks while conceding 2 fumbles and they have earned 183 first downs. Concerning their scoring prowess, the Wildcats are sitting 35th in the country with 33.6 points per contest. During the season so far, the Wildcats have a total of 1,898 yards via the pass together with an average of 237.3 passing yards per outing, which ranks 58th in college football.

The Wildcats are conceding 18.8 PPG, ranking them 26th in college football. Northwestern has yielded a total of 1,174 yards via the ground game (146.8 yards per game) and 8 touchdowns by way of the ground game for the campaign. They have conceded 9 touchdowns through the air in addition to 227.4 yards/contest, ranking them 94th in the country. The Wildcats defense has been on the field for 542 plays, which ranks 86th in Division 1. Their defense has compiled 5 fumbles recovered and 8 interceptions this season. In total, they have given up 150 points in total.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Wildcats -2.5

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college football picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.