Penn State vs. Northwestern: Expert Picks for Friday's Game at New Ryan Field

After playing in temporary homes for the past two seasons, the Northwestern Wildcats debut their brand-new, $875 million, Ryan Field on Friday night, when they host the Penn State Nittany Lions. First-year Penn State coach Matt Campbell faces his first bounce-back opportunity after his team blew a 17-point lead in a Big Ten opening 24-20 loss to Wisconsin last weekend. Northwestern, with first-year offensive coordinator Chip Kelly calling plays for head coach David Braun, opened Big Ten play with a narrow 29-23 defeat at defending national champion Indiana.  Claim the latest Polymarket promo code CBSSPORTS to get a $25 bonus after $10 in trades :

Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill. The Nittany Lions are 2.5-point road favorites, with the over/under at 45.5 in the latest Penn State vs. Northwestern odds. Before making any Northwestern vs. Penn State picks, check out the Penn State vs. Northwestern predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model .

Penn State vs. Northwestern odds

Penn State vs. Northwestern spread

Penn State -2.5

Penn State vs. Northwestern over/under

45.5 points

Penn State vs. Northwestern money line

Penn State -142, Northwestern +122

Penn State vs. Northwestern picks

See picks at SportsLine

Penn State vs. Northwestern streaming

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Top Northwestern vs. Penn State predictions

After simulating Penn State vs. Northwestern 10,000 times, SportsLine model is going Over 45.5 points at  betting apps .  The Wildcats have played two games vs. FBS-level competition, and both games went past the total in points. After a pair of Unders, the Over has hit in the last two games for the Nittany Lions.

Northwestern ranks 120th in total defense. While Penn State ranks ninth, it allowed 24 points in its lone game vs. a Power 6 team, and Wisconsin is a bottom-half offense nationally.

SportsLine's model is projecting 52 points in this one, with the Over hitting 65% of the time. See the model's spread and money-line picks at SportsLine .

How to make Penn State vs. Northwestern picks

In addition to going Over on the total, the model also says one side of the spread hits more than 60% of the time.  You can only get the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Northwestern vs. Penn State, and which side of the spread hits more than 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that's on a 34-25 run on top-rated CFB picks , and find out.

Why you should trust SportsLine's model

The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. It enters Week 5 on a 32-24 run on all top-rated college football picks at  betting sites , returning nearly $600 for $100 players. Anybody following its picks on college football betting sites could have seen strong returns.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/penn-state-northwestern-prediction-odds-line-time-week-5-college-football-friday-picks-ryan-field-opening/)._