The Northwestern Wildcats will open their Big Ten conference schedule against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the Week 1 opener for both teams at SHI Stadium on Piscataway, New Jersey. Kickoff is set for noon and the game will air on CBS with Paramount Plus handling the live stream. The Wildcats will try to put a tumultuous offseason behind them in the first game shown on CBS under their new Big Ten contract.
Northwestern has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons this offseason and it resulted in the end of Pat Fitzgerald’s tenure with the program. The Wildcats will try to get the attention to their play on the field under interim coach David Braun. Northwestern won its opener last year against Nebraska and proceeded to lose the next 11 games, scoring nine points or less in six of the losses.
Rutgers got off to a 3-0 start last year and then went 1-8 in conference play. The Scarlet Knights are now in their fourth year of Greg Schiano’s second stint and hoping to improve their Big Ten record enough to make a bowl game. Rutgers has become more competitive under Schiano, but still lost five of their eight conference games by 31 points or more.
Northwestern vs. Rutgers
Date: Saturday, September 2
Start time: Noon
TV channel: CBS
Live stream: Paramount Plus
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Rutgers -6
Total: 39.5
Moneyline: RU -230, NU +190