The stage is set as the Michigan Wolverines (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) travel to Chicago to take on the Northwestern Wildcats (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) on Saturday at Wrigley Field. Michigan remains in the hunt for a conference title, but the Wolverines need to keep winning and get some help to play for the Big Ten crown. Northwestern needs one more win win to become bowl-eligible and will lean on its home crowd and improving run game to try and get it here. Continue reading to find my Michigan vs Northwestern prediction for Saturday’s game.
Our Michigan vs Northwestern Pick
Pick: Northwestern +10.5
Confidence: ★★☆☆☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Michigan Wolverines vs Northwestern Wildcats
- Date & Time: Saturday, November 15, 2025, 12:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Broadcast: FOX
Key Storylines
Quarterback Play
Michigan’s freshman QB Bryce Underwood has been inconsistent throughout this season for the Wolverines. He has just seven touchdown passes this season, as Michigan has asked him to be more of a game manager than anything else. Michigan’s strength remains its run game on offense.
Justice Haynes, Michigan’s top back, is sidelined after foot surgery. That elevates sophomore Jordan Marshall into the lead-back role. Marshall rushed for a career-high 185 yards and three touchdowns in the Wolverines’ 21-16 win over Purdue in their last outing.
Northwestern’s Preston Stone has thrown for 1,522 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, though he’s also been intercepted 9 times. The Wildcats run the ball effectively with RB Caleb Komolafe leading the way with 726 yards and 8 touchdowns so far. The Northwestern run game could struggle against the stout defense of Michigan this week.
Betting Trends & H2H
- Michigan leads the all-time series by a large margin (60-15-2) and has won eight in a row against Northwestern.
- Northwestern is 5-3-1 against the spread so far this season.
- Michigan is 3-6 against the spread going into this contest.
- The under has cashed in five of the first nine games for both of these teams.
Michigan vs Northwestern Model Projection
Score Projection: Michigan 24 – Northwestern 17
Win Probability: Michigan 70%, Northwestern 30%
Final Thoughts
We should be in for an ugly, low-scoring game between Michigan and Northwestern in this contest. The Wildcats and Wolverines will both try to control this game with their defenses and rushing attacks. I think that we will see Michigan win this game, but I don’t see them creating a ton of separation either. I will take the points with Northwestern in a game that will not be fun to watch outside of the novelty of the game being played at Wrigley.
