The Northwestern Wildcats will visit the Tulane Green Wave in Week 1 of the college football season on Saturday. Tulane is a home favorite against a Big Ten opponent. This game is huge for a Tulane team that is looking to build its College Football Playoff resume and can’t afford any early-season losses. Before kickoff from New Orleans, you can find my Northwestern vs Tulane prediction below.
Our Northwestern vs Tulane Pick
- Pick: Tulane -6
- Confidence: ★★★★☆
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Northwestern vs Tulane
- Date & Time: Saturday, August 30, 2025, 12:00 PM EDT
- Venue: Yulman Stadium, New Orleans, LA
- Broadcast: ESPNU
Northwestern vs Tulane Odds
| Spread | Moneyline | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulane | -6 | -215 | Over 46.5 |
| Northwestern | +6 | +180 | Under 46.5 |
Key Storylines
Tulane enters as the clear favorite with most sportsbooks listing them around six-point favorites. They return with ambitions to compete for the AAC title and perhaps a College Football Playoff spot. The big question going into this season is who their quarterback will be as they have yet to name a starter for the season.
Northwestern is going into their third year under coach David Braun. Northwestern’s philosophy has centered around locking up opponents with their defense. But they will try to get their offense up and running in this season opener on the road behind transfer quarterback Preston Stone. Stone’s experience could give the Wildcats a boost on offense but Northwestern’s lack of weapons may limit his consistency compared to what we saw from him at SMU.
These teams have faced off four times in their history. Tulane is 3-1 in those games. But it is worth noting that the Green Wave and Wildcats have not faced each other since 1956 and you can throw those previous results out the window when evaluating this matchup.
Quarterback Play
Preston Stone saw major playing time in just one season. That was 2023 when he threw for 3,197 yards, 28 touchdowns, and six interceptions for the Mustangs. He has the arm talent to have success but the team around him could hold him back.
Tulane hasn’t publicly named a starting quarterback for this game. Former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff is among the transfers the Green Wave brought in after Darian Mensah left for Duke in the offseason. Who the Green Wave go with at quarterback could impact their chances to win this game.
Northwestern vs Tulane Model Projection
Score Projection: Northwestern 21 – Tulane 31
Win Probability: Northwestern 39%, Tulane 61%
Final Thoughts
Both teams have a lot of questions to answer on offense going into this year. I think that Tulane is better equipped to answer those questions in the early going. I would think that we see Retzlaff at quarterback for the Green Wave and that he will get his team off to a strong start through the air. I’ll lay the points with Tulane with the expectation that they start their season with a win over a power conference opponent.
