It's safe to say that Northwestern is not expected to win on Saturday.
The Wildcats host Oregon this weekend — their first such matchup in history — and the odds are stacked against NU. The No. 4 Ducks opened as 28-point betting favorites over the 'Cats, according to Bet MGM, and a $10,000 bet for Oregon to win outright would net just $100 if it hits.
Oregon has been flat-out dominant to begin the 2025 college football season. The Ducks took care of business against Montana State in the opener, 59-13, then demolished Oklahoma State on Saturday, 69-3. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Dante Moore has been efficient leading the offense after sitting behind Dillon Gabriel for a year, completing over 77% of his passes for 479 yards, six scores and no turnovers.
On the other hand, Northwestern was thoroughly handled by Tulane in Week 1. The 1-1 Wildcats rebounded with a victory over Western Illinois on Friday, but the talent level of the Leathernecks pales in comparison to that of a National Championship contender like Oregon.
The Ducks went a perfect 13-0 last year in their first season in the Big Ten, earning the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff after beating Penn State in the conference title game. Although Oregon's run ended in the Rose Bowl and most of the team's top players graduated, the Ducks appear to have effectively reloaded their roster and seem poised for another trip to the postseason.
Can the Wildcats pull off the upset against their West Coast foes? FOX Sports is airing the game as its "Big Noon Kickoff" headliner, meaning the Ducks will take the field at the equivalent of 9 a.m. Pacific Time. Since joining the Big Ten a year ago, Washington, UCLA and USC combined to go 2-8 in conference games played outside their native time zone. Those struggles did not extend to Oregon, which went 4-0 in such games.
The hype of playing against a top-five team could also propel the 'Cats to an upset victory. Northwestern has not recorded a win against a ranked team since beating No. 10 Wisconsin in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic meant that Ryan Field was devoid of fans and the excitement of a ranked matchup. As an unranked team, Northwestern last earned a ranked win in 2018, when the Wildcats defeated No. 20 Michigan State, No. 20 Wisconsin and No. 21 Iowa before entering the AP Poll.
NU lost its lone matchup against an ex-Pac-12 school last season — a 24-5 defeat to Washington — but will face the remaining three opponents in 2025.
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