Reviewing Betting Line, Spread, & Total for Northwestern at Rutgers

Rutgers is preparing to play a football game this week and will do it as a favorite on its home field.

The Scarlet Knights will host Northwestern in a standalone, nationally-televised game on Sunday. Yes, that is still the plan. These two teams have met twice in their histories with the Wildcats coming out on top in each contest. Let’s just say, if that is the case again, the sky might come crashing down in Piscataway.

Rutgers begins the full-time Gavin Wimsatt era under new offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca. Below, check out some betting information and trends from both programs from the 2022 season.

Northwestern at Rutgers Line, Spread, & Total

The odds below are according to BetOnline and updated as of Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 3:00 PM ET.

• Moneyline (ML): Northwestern +200 | Rutgers -240
• Against the Spread (ATS): Northwestern +6.5 (-108) | Rutgers -6.5 (-112)
• Over/Under (O/U): Over 39.5 (-110) | Under 39.5 (-110)

Northwestern at Rutgers Trends

Last season, Rutgers finished 5-6-1 ATS. The lone push was against Ohio State, and it depends on where you were able to get the number. According to Covers, the line closed at 39 and Rutgers lost 49-10.

In five victories ATS, Rutgers was able to win three of the games outright. This includes a season-opening win against Boston College where they were a nine-point dog.

The spread in Rutgers’ games played out more or less how you would expect. The totals were much more interesting. Given Rutgers horrendous offensive performance last year, it might be a surprise to know that six games went over. In many contests, this is because the opponent was able to light up the scoreboard.

Rutgers had a hand in two overs, taking advantage of low numbers. Against Wagner, the Scarlet Knights hit it by themselves, scoring 66 points. Against Michigan State, each team put up 20+, which helped it go over. Ohio State scored 49, Michigan scored 52, and Penn State scored 55 — these games were carried by opponents.

As for Northwestern, it was all about covering a spread. The Wildcats went 1-11 last season but were 5-7 ATS. This is what they will be looking to do once again vs. Rutgers on Sunday.

Northwestern won the season-opener against Nebraska last year before losing the final 11 games of the season. They were double-digit underdogs in each game last season but kept a few close enough to cover. Northwestern stayed within 10 of Penn State (17-7) and one score of Maryland (31-24). The Wildcats also hung around Ohio State (21-7) and Purdue (17-9).

This was a feisty team last year but could not win games when needed. Northwestern lost five games that were decided by one score. For Rutgers, it will be important to put this one away early if given the chance.

Northwestern hung around one-score games last season but the 2023 campaign might be different. With the number around 6.5 for now, Rutgers should cover a touchdown spread. Well, this is what fans will be expecting at least. With the uncertain nature of each offense, a total of 39.5 is still difficult to predict.