Ad Disclosure
ESPN’s FPI predicts outcome of Minnesota-Northwestern game
By Nick Schultz
Published:
Minnesota has been playing well despite losing its top two running backs. Northwestern has struggled this year, especially on defense.
So it’s no surprise that the metrics lean heavily toward Minnesota. ESPN’s FPI gives the Golden Gophers a 67.1% chance of beating the Wildcats on the road in Evanston on Saturday.
The two teams haven’t played each other since 2019 when Minnesota won 38-22. Before that game, Northwestern won the last two matchups in 2017 and 2018.
Despite the losses of Mo Ibrahim and Trey Potts, Minnesota has won its last 3 games over Purdue, Nebraska and Minnesota. Tanner Morgan appears to be settling in at quarterback — and at a good time. The Golden Gophers are 5-2 with hopes of getting that sixth win to become bowl eligible this weekend.
Northwestern, meanwhile, has regressed from being the B1G’s top defense last year to the conference’s worst this year. The Wildcats are allowing a league-high 417.9 yards per game and rank 12th out of the 14 teams in scoring defense, allowing 25.1 points per game.
Kickoff is set for Oct. 30 at 2:30 p.m. CT on the B1G Network.
Nick Schultz is a columnist and breaking news writer for Saturday Tradition. A 2020 graduate of Loyola Chicago, he covered the Ramblers' 2018 Final Four run from beginning to end and has worked at NBC Sports Chicago. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickSchultz_7.