clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Northwestern vs. Michigan Game Preview: How to Watch, Score Predictions and More

Everything you need to know about Saturday's game, including start time, how to watch, the rest of the week six slate and more.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Pat Fitzgerald's 13th-ranked Northwestern Wildcats (5-0) travel to Ann Arbor on Saturday to take on Jim Harbaugh and his 18th-ranked Michigan Wolverines (4-1) in the biggest early season matchup that the Big Ten Conference has had to offer so far this season.

Which is a surprise to many.

It is not often that a team's homecoming game ends up being one of their toughest games of the season, but here we are. Northwestern has been excellent so far this season and has yet to lose a game, while the Wolverines have been putting a beating on everyone since their week one loss at Utah.

This matchup features two of the top five defenses in all of college football, so the biggest thing to look out for in this game is basically who blinks first.

Northwestern has a pair of players on offense in quarterback Clayton Thorson and running back Justin Jackson who are two of the better players at their position in the conference. Thorson is only a redshirt freshman, but he has made his fair share of big plays in his team's big start and Jackson is one of the best running backs in the country.

This is not the best offensive team Michigan has played, but they will still be on high alert on the defensive side of the football. It would be a big surprise to seem them not keep performing well in this game.

Linebacker Anthony Walker leads the Wildcats on defense, which is ranked fifth-overall in the country. We will see how Jake Rudock and compary, an already struggling offense at times, fares against the best defensive team they have seen through six weeks. Expect the Wolverines to keep running the football like they have been, or at least try to.

De'Veon Smith and Channing Stribling are expected to play following missing last week's game at Maryland, so that will provide a boost to both sides of the football.

In terms of a score prediction, I have the Wolverines winning this game 20-3. Michigan should be able to get enough out of its offense and will score a late touchdown to seal the game.

Be sure to make your prediction for this game using the Crowd's Line widget directly below:

Game Info

Teams: Northwestern vs. Michigan

Date: October 10th, 2015

Location: Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. (107,601)

Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET

Television: Big Ten Network/BTN2Go

Radio: Michigan/IMG Sports Network (for a list of affiliates, click here)

Spread: Michigan -10

Fun Facts

  • This is the 74th meeting between Michigan and Northwestern. The Wolverines lead the all-time series 56-15-2.
  • Michigan has won 31 of the last 35 games in this series.
  • They are also 34-6-2 all-time at Michigan Stadium against the Wildcats
  • The Wolverines have won 16 of their last 20 Homecoming games and are 88-28-2 all-time.
  • The last three games between these two teams have been decided by less than a score with Michigan winning each. (Remember M00N?)
  • Pat Fitzgerald was a keynote speaker at this summer's "Exposure U" camp held at U-M.

Hitting the Links: MnB's Northwestern vs. Michigan Coverage

10-10 - Northwestern vs. Michigan: Keys to a Wolverine Victory

10-9 - Matchups to Watch: Northwestern vs. Michigan

10-9 - Staff Roundtable and Predictions: Northwestern vs. Michigan

10-8 - S&P+ Predicts the Michigan-Northwestern Score

10-8 - The Michigan Man Podcast Episode 269 w/ Northwestern Radio Voice Dave Eanet

10-8 - Behind Enemy Lines: Q&A with Inside NU

10-8 - Week Six Best Bets: Do or Die with Rice?

10-7 - Getting to Know the Northwestern Wildcats

10-6 - Big Ten Week Six Odds: Letdown Spots at a Premium

10-5 - Smith and Stribling Back at Practice

10-5 - Big Ten's Two Most Impressive Teams Meet Saturday in Ann Arbor

10-4 - Michigan Opens at 12-point Favorite Over Northwestern

Week Six College Football TV Schedule

Thu, Oct 8, 2015
8:00 PM ET
ESPN2WatchESPN
SMU at Houston
9:00 PM ET
ESPNWatchESPN
Washington at (17) USC
Fri, Oct 9, 2015
7:00 PM ET
CBSS
Southern Miss at Marshall
8:00 PM ET
ESPNWatchESPN
NC State at Virginia Tech
Sat, Oct 10, 2015
12:00 PM ET
ABC
(10) Oklahoma vs.
(Dallas, TX)
Texas
12:00 PM ET
ESPNWatchESPN
(7) LSU at South Carolina
12:00 PM ET
ESPN2WatchESPN
Indiana at Penn State
12:00 PM ET
ESPNUWatchESPN
Illinois at (22) Iowa
12:00 PM ET
ESPNNWatchESPN
Tulane at Temple
12:00 PM ET
SECNWatchESPN
New Mexico State at (14) Mississippi
12:00 PM ET
BTNBTN2Go
Maryland at (1) Ohio State
12:00 PM ET
FS1FoxSportsGo
(3) Baylor at Kansas
12:00 PM ET
FSNFoxSportsGo
MTSU at Western Kentucky
12:00 PM ET
CBSS
Duke at Army
12:00 PM ET
AMSN
UTEP at FIU
12:30 PM ET
ACC
Virginia at Pittsburgh
2:00 PM ET
ESPN3WatchESPN
Miami (OH) at Ohio
2:00 PM ET
ESPN3WatchESPN
Massachusetts at Bowling Green
2:30 PM ET
FCS
Rice at Florida Atlantic
3:00 PM ET
ESPN3WatchESPN
Kent State at (24) Toledo
3:30 PM ET
FSNFoxSportsGo
Iowa State at Texas Tech
3:30 PM ET
CBSSEC Live
(19) Georgia at Tennessee
3:30 PM ET
CBSSN
Syracuse at South Florida
3:30 PM ET
NBCNBC Sports Live Extra
Navy at (15) Notre Dame
3:30 PM ET
ABC / ESPN2WatchESPN
Georgia Tech at (6) Clemson
3:30 PM ET
ABC / ESPN2WatchESPN
Wisconsin at Nebraska
3:30 PM ET
BTNBTN2Go
(13) Northwestern at (18) Michigan
3:30 PM ET
ESPNWatchESPN
Minnesota at Purdue
3:45 PM ET
ESPNUWatchESPN
Connecticut at UCF
4:00 PM ET
FS1FoxSportsGo
Oregon State at Arizona
4:00 PM ET
SECNWatchESPN
Troy at Mississippi State
5:00 PM ET
CS Live ($)
Portland State at North Texas
6:00 PM ET
PAC12Pac-12 Live
Washington State at Oregon
6:00 PM ET
ESPN3WatchESPN
Louisiana-Monroe at Tulsa
7:00 PM ET
ESPN3WatchESPN
Texas State at Louisiana-Lafayette
7:00 PM ET
AMSN
Louisiana Tech at Texas-San Antonio
7:00 PM ET
ESPNWatchESPN
Arkansas at (8) Alabama
7:00 PM ET
ESPN2WatchESPN
(21) Oklahoma State at West Virginia
7:00 PM ET
CBSS
Boise State at Colorado State
7:00 PM ET
MWC
New Mexico at Nevada
7:30 PM ET
FOXFoxSportsGo
(2) TCU at Kansas State
7:30 PM ET
ESPNUWatchESPN
East Carolina at BYU
7:30 PM ET
SECNWatchESPN
(11) Florida at Missouri
8:00 PM ET
ABC
Miami (FL) at (12) Florida State
8:00 PM ET
BTNBTN2Go
(4) Michigan State at Rutgers
9:00 PM ET
ESPN3WatchESPN
San Jose State at UNLV
10:00 PM ET
ESPNWatchESPN
(23) Cal at (5) Utah
10:00 PM ET
PAC12Pac-12 Live
Colorado at Arizona State
10:15 PM ET
ESPN2WatchESPN
Wyoming at Air Force
10:30 PM ET
CBSS
Utah State at Fresno State
Sun, Oct 11, 2015
12:00 AM ET
MWC
San Diego State at Hawaii