The UL Monroe Warhawks take on the Northwestern Wildcats in Evanston, IL, on Saturday, Oct. 4. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
Northwestern is favored by 11.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -450. UL Monroe, meanwhile, enters as a +11.5 underdog and comes in at +350 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 42.5 total points.
Here’s my UL Monroe vs. Northwestern prediction and college football picks for Saturday, October 4.
UL Monroe vs Northwestern Prediction
- UL Monroe vs. Northwestern Pick: Northwestern -11.5 (Play to -13.5)
My Northwestern vs. UL Monroe best bet is on the Wildcats to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
UL Monroe vs Northwestern Odds
| Warhawks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+11.5 -110 | 42.5 -110o / -110u | +350 |
| Wildcats Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-11.5 -110 | 42.5 -110o / -110u | -450 |
- UL Monroe vs Northwestern Spread: Northwestern -11.5, UL Monroe +11.5
- UL Monroe vs Northwestern Over/Under: 40.5 Points
- UL Monroe vs Northwestern Moneyline: UL Monroe +330, Northwestern -425
UL Monroe vs Northwestern College Football Betting Preview
UL Monroe Warhawks Betting Preview: Coming Off a Strong Win
Finally vindicated are the ULM Warhawks.
They had 15 consecutive losses, both straight up and against the spread, but after defeating Arkansas State last week, they got the monkey off their backs.
UL Monroe got the offense going against one of the worst-rated defenses in the Sun Belt last week, and quarterback Aidan Armenta had his best passing day of the season, throwing for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
The ground game was efficient with Zach Palmer-Smith and Braylon McReynolds splitting carries for 149 yards while each scored a touchdown.
The defense really stepped up in this one, holding Arkansas State to just one offensive touchdown and 12 total rushing yards on 27 attempts.
ULM was excellent on third down, and the front seven really came through in pressuring Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor all afternoon while sacking him seven times.
You could see this defense flying to the football and playing with extremely high motivation to get this team in a position to win.
Northwestern Wildcats Betting Preview: Burn the Tape
Northwestern defeated UCLA last week at home by a score of 17-14 behind stout defense and a great receiving day from wide receiver Griffin Wilde.
The contest was played at a very slow pace that featured just eight possessions each with very limited explosiveness.
Northwestern scored on each of its three first-half possessions and also had a 17-play drive that lasted nearly 10 minutes, which resulted in a missed field goal.
We saw a run-heavy approach by the Wildcats, who ran the ball on 70% of their offensive snaps, led by Caleb Komolafe’s 27 carries for 119 yards. Preston Stone completed 12 of his 18 passes for just 115 yards — with 98 of those yards going to Wilde — along with a passing touchdown.
Defensively, Northwestern did a really nice job of limiting UCLA's explosives and keeping the ground game in check.
Outside of one long Nico Iamaleava scramble in the second half, UCLA didn't register an explosive running play, and the Wildcats registered three sacks.
This was a strong showing for a unit looking to rebound from a home loss to Oregon their last time out, as Northwestern controlled the first three quarters and did not allow a touchdown until the late stages of the fourth.
UL Monroe vs Northwestern Pick, Betting Analysis
Head coach David Braun is still attempting to establish a winning program here at Northwestern, and I'd suspect this team is fully focused on getting another solid home win here before it hits the road to Penn State next week.
I'm laying the points with Northwestern.
I have no doubt that the Warhawks are going to win several more games this season, and this feisty group could still compete for the Sun Belt West title.
I expect this team to play hard, but I don’t think they have the required talent to line up against a Big Ten opponent for four quarters.
UL Monroe has looked really good in back-to-back weeks, but I really want to consider the competition faced here. UTEP and Arkansas State have nowhere near the level of defensive talent that ULM will line up against when it faces Northwestern.
The Wildcats will have significant advantages in preventing early down success. The concern will be for the Warhawks offense if they can't run the football consistently enough to prevent third-and-medium or worse.
ULM runs the ball two-thirds of the time and plays very slowly. The offense is not equipped to come from behind.
Preventing Havoc has also been an issue for this offensive line. ULM ranks 135th in Havoc allowed, and Armenta just isn't proficient enough in passing the ball, which is going to be required to extend drives.
Northwestern hasn't allowed a 200-yard passer this season, and it's not going to get beaten deep by the ULM receivers.
Offensively, Stone and the Wildcats have struggled to get the passing game going, but I have major concerns about the ULM secondary in this one.
The Warhawks have surrendered 355 yards per game through the air this year against FBS competition and could get torched here.
Wilde can make all the contested catches for Northwestern, and he has the speed to stretch the defense vertically and take the lid off it in a hurry. I expect Wilde to have a monster game here as a reliable third-down target to move the chains and keep this NW offense on the field.
Look for the Wildcats to have a little fun in this one and win this game by 17-21 by pulling away in the fourth quarter. Lay the points.
Pick: Northwestern -11.5 (Play to -13.5)
