The Northwestern Wildcats are receiving three points from oddsmakers as they get their 2018 campaign underway against their in-conference nemesis Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. The matchup is scheduled to get underway at 8:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to ESPN.
Northwestern Wildcats at Purdue Boilermakers Betting Preview
Northwestern is the road underdog in this early-season Big 10 game and is currently receiving 3 points. The Wildcats are also receiving +120 moneyline odds while the Boilermakers are -140. This Big 10 tilt should provide several decent in-game betting possibilities, and Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 51.5 points.
This game’s line opened at -3. The total hasn’t moved after being initially posted at 51.5.
The Wildcats finished 9-4 against the spread (ATS) last season. The under cashed in six of those games while the over hit six times. The Boilermakers assembled a record of 9-4 ATS with an O/U record of 4-9.
Overall, the Wildcats went 10-3 straight-up (SU) last season while the Boilermakers could only manage a 7-6 SU record in 2017. Against conference foes, the Wildcats finished 7-2 SU and the Boilermakers were 4-5 SU against Big Ten programs. Each program posted a 2-1 record SU against non-conference competition in 2017.
The Wildcats averaged 299 passing yards per game and 160 rushing yards per game against their three out-of-conference opponents last season. They managed to put up 32.3 points per game versus those opponents while giving up 22.7 per contest. When matched up against Big Ten schools, they scored an average of 28.8 points and allowed 18.9 points per contest. Offensively, they put up 226 pass yards per game and 161 rush yards per game.
Against non-conference foes, the Boilermakers threw for 287 yards per game and ran for 173 per game on their way to 35.7 points per matchup. When facing Big 10 opponents, the offensive unit posted 20.3 points per game by averaging 224 pass yards and 144 rush yards. The Boilermakers defense allowed 19.7 PPG to non-conference foes and 19.2 PPG to teams in conference
The Wildcats ought to be the more disruptive team in the trenches, as their offensive line allowed only 31 sacks last season while the D-line logged 32 sacks. The Boilermakers O-line permitted 33 sacks last year and their defense created only 29 sacks.
When these two squads met a year ago, Northwestern got the victory 23-13.
Free Pick: Northwestern Wildcats vs. Purdue Boilermakers
SU Winner – Northwestern, ATS Winner – Northwestern, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Wildcats offense allowed 31 sacks last season. Their defense created 32 sacks.
The Boilermakers offense gave up 33 sacks last season. Their defense sacked opposing signal-callers on 29 occasions.
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