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Indiana Preview and Prediction
By The Lowes Line Staff
Matchup: Northwestern Wildcats (2-0, 0-0) at #5 Indiana Hoosiers (3-0, 0-0)
Date: Friday, September 25, 2026, 7:00 pm CDT, Memorial Stadium
TV: Fox
Line: Indiana (-20.5); O/U 49.5
Outlook:
Last week's Line was a tad bit off, but in the best possible way.
Northwestern entered Northwestern Medicine Library...umm...I mean Field
as mere 3.5 point favorites. After 60 minutes of dominant
football against Coach Prime's Colorado Buffaloes, the Purple emerged
victorious via a 41-7 drubbing.
Beyond
the scoreboard, the Wildcats thoroughly beat Colorado in every
meaningful statistical comparison. They outgained Colorado by 80
yards, won the turnover battle 4-1, had more first downs, and held the
ball on offense for 13 more minutes. Quarterback Aidan Chiles had
a supremely efficient game, going 17 for 22 and 3 touchdown
passes. In addition to the two he ran in himself. NU
continued their running back by committee arrangement and it proved
pretty effective against the Buffaloes defense. The NU coaching
staff obviously saw something in the film because Chiles's 3 touchdown
passes went to Joseph Himon II. Himon has developed into a
receiving threat out of the backfield.
The NU defense kept Colorado pretty well bottled up all game, allowing
only one touchdown drive to open the second half. I'm sure many
in the Purple fanbase were nervous at that point, since we've seen so
many collapses in the past. But NU responded and scored the next
20 points, turning a game that had the potential to go all white
knuckle into a laugher. A fitting way to end NU's sojourn on the
Lakefill.
Northwestern next drives
down I-65 to face defending national champions and current 5th-ranked
Indiana Hoosiers. Gone from last year's top-ranked team is 1st
overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza. Coach Cignetti remains,
however, and has kept IU playing hard and playing well. This will
be IU's 4th straight home game, and they haven't surrendered a point
during the last 2 games, pitching shutouts against Howard and Western
Kentucky. Now, truth be told, neither of those teams (or IU's
week 1 opponent, North Texas) are even minimal competition, but still,
pitching back-to-back shutouts is still an impressive feat.
Now that Mendoza is plying his trade in the NFL (or what passes for it
in Las Vegas), the Hoosiers have turned to Josh Howard to lead the
offense. Through 3 games, albeit against inferior defenses,
Hoover has completed 72.5% of his passes and has 10 touchdowns against
no interceptions. Hoover is supported by the aptly named Turbo
Richard, who sports a gaudy 7.7-yard rushing average and has crossed
the goal line 4 times. IU is well coached and doesn't give the
ball up, so a repeat of the success in taking the ball away against the
Buffaloes is unlikely to repeat itself.
I'd
love to say that NU will go into Bloomington and shock the world, but I
just don't see that happening. IU is just too well coached and
has playmakers that take care of the ball and make good plays.
The IU defense is on an impressive shutout streak, but I don't see that
reaching 180 minutes. NU entered the week as 23.5 'dogs and that
has shrunk a bit to the current 20.5, but I think that makes an IU
cover that much more likely. And, unfortunately, IU plays Rutgers
the following week, so NU can't even sneak up on the Hoosiers in trap
game fashion.
Pick: Indiana 38, Northwestern 17.
Northwestern likely keeps this game close for a while, but IU's
playmakers and discipline are just too much and NU gives up a late
score to lose the cover.
Season to date: 2-0 straight up, 0-2 against the spread.
Go ‘Cats
The Lowes Line is an
e-mailed description of NU's
next
football game, with an invariably fearless prediction of the outcome
and
how NU will fare against what the other "experts" predict. Our
good
friend and Brother Marcus Lowes began the broadcast mailing in 1996.
The crack Lowes Line Staff (alumni Lone Star Cat,
GallopingGrapes, P.S. O'Briant, Eric Cockerill, Joel Kanvik, Charlie Simon, and
MO'Cats) have continued the Line in memory of Marcus.
For
the 2026 season it has returned to HailToPurple.com,
for anyone to enjoy. Thanks to the gridiron brain trust at the Lowes
Line!
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