Colorado vs Northwestern Prediction: Can Coach Prime Tame the Cats?
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It’s Deion Sanders, it’s 2-0 Colorado, it’s FOX, in Chicago on a Saturday night on the lakefront in one of the most beautiful settings in college football before Northwestern (1-0) reopens the new and insanely improved Ryan Field in a few weeks.
(There, I’ve tried my best to sell a game going at the exact same time as some Lane Kiffin guy returns to Oxford, Mississippi.)
It’s also Colorado trying to go 3-0 after starting the season with a win over Georgia Tech on a blocked field goal attempt, and Northwestern trying to get up to speed after a week off following a decent-not-amazing win over South Dakota State.
Colorado vs Northwestern: Quick Hits
- It’s the third time these two have met. Northwestern beat Colorado 35-14 in 1951, and the Buffaloes returned the favor with a 55-7 win in 1978.
- Northwestern opens the Big Ten season at Indiana next week, and then the grand reopening against Penn State.
- Colorado starts the Big 12 season at Baylor, and then gets three of the next four games in Boulder starting with Texas Tech and Utah.
How To Watch Colorado vs Northwestern
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026
Game Time: 7:30 PM ET
TV: FOX
Location: Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, Evanston, IL
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Why Colorado Will Win
This isn’t the time of year when teams need a rest. Northwestern had its one game against South Dakota State, and that’s been it so far. Colorado not only has two games under its belt, but it’s battle-tested about as well as can be with that road game at Georgia Tech.
The Colorado defense stepped up right away over the first few weeks against the run, QB Julian Lewis has yet to throw an interception, and Northwestern wasn’t totally sharp against South Dakota State in that opener.
Why Northwestern Will Win
The Northwestern offense worked about as well in the opener as could be expected. QB Aidan Chiles missed a few throws, but he kept things moving, the running game was great, and the attack cranked out close to 500 yards.
Georgia Tech might not have been able to put up a ton of points on the board, but Alberto Mendoza hit 71% of his passes to make up for the lack of running game.
Colorado vs Northwestern Prediction, Betting Lines
Colorado has shown off the lines so far, but it still gave up four sacks, the rushing attack was just okay against Georgia Tech, and Northwestern should be able to take advantage of both sides of that.
The Wildcat pass rush won’t be dominant, but it’ll be good enough. The balanced attack will lead to a slew of field goals that won’t let anyone get comfortable, but it’ll be enough to overcome a few good Colorado drives.
Northwestern 24, Colorado 20
Latest Consensus Line: Northwestern -3.5, o/u: 47.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 1.5
Must See Rating (out of 5): 3
Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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