Overview
- Kickoff is Friday at 1 p.m. ET at Ford Field in Detroit with television coverage on ESPN.
- Northwestern enters 6-6 under head coach David Braun, while Central Michigan is 7-5 in Matt Drinkall’s first season.
- Sportsbooks list Northwestern around -10 to -11.5 with a total near 43.5, and CBS Sports’ model projects combined scoring in the mid-40s.
- The teams profile similarly on paper, with Northwestern allowing 20.9 points per game and scoring 22.5, and Central Michigan allowing 22.7 and scoring 23.8, per AP.
- Key storylines include Northwestern tackle Caleb Tiernan’s hometown showcase and top draft buzz, Central Michigan’s Labas–Flores quarterback tandem, and defensive standouts Robert Fitzgerald for NU and Michael Heldman for CMU.