Northwestern at Rutgers Week 1 College Football Matchup Northwestern at Rutgers Matchup - Week 1
Sun, Sep 3 2023 · Week 1 · 🏟 SHI Stadium Piscataway, NJ · Turf · 52,454 cap
Northwestern✈ 6,621 mi+1 hr TZ
7 24
Final
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📊 Punt & Rally Projection
Northwestern
19
Rutgers
23
P&R Line Rutgers -4.5
P&R Total O/U 42
Confidence 90 High
Vegas Rutgers -5 · O/U 39.0
Matchup Prediction
Toss-up — no clear edge
Neither metric shows a meaningful pre-game edge in this matchup.
Momentum Control
58.4%
Lean
Game Control
50.6%
Toss-up
Vegas Spread
Rutgers -5
O/U 39.0
Caesars Sportsbook (Colorado)
Advanced Stats
All 4 factors agree → Rutgers · 83.1% ATS historically when all four align
↓ See full breakdown
Northwestern 2023 Schedule
Northwestern's 2023 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sun 9/3Northwestern at Rutgers+5.0L7–2439.0L7–24UN
Sat 9/9Northwestern vs UTEP-1.0W38–740.0W38–7OY
Sat 9/16Northwestern at Duke+17.0L14–3848.0L14–38ON
Sat 9/23Northwestern vs Minnesota+11.5W37–3439.5W37–34OY
Sat 9/30Northwestern vs Penn State+27.0L13–4148.0L13–41ON
Sat 10/7Northwestern vs Howard-23.0W23–2051.0W23–20UN
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/21Northwestern at Nebraska+10.5L9–1740.0L9–17UY
Sat 10/28Northwestern vs Maryland+14.0W33–2748.5W33–27OY
Sat 11/4Northwestern vs Iowa+4.5L7–1030.5L7–10UY
Sat 11/11Northwestern at Wisconsin+9.5W24–1043.5W24–10UY
Sat 11/18Northwestern vs Purdue-2.5W23–1547.5W23–15UY
Sat 11/25Northwestern at Illinois+5.0W45–4346.5W45–43OY
Sat 12/23Northwestern vs Utah+6.5W14–744.5W14–7UY
Rutgers 2023 Schedule
Rutgers's 2023 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sun 9/3Rutgers vs Northwestern-5.0W24–739.0W24–7UY
Sat 9/9Rutgers vs Temple-7.5W36–743.5W36–7UY
Sat 9/16Rutgers vs Virginia Tech-6.5W35–1637.5W35–16OY
Sat 9/23Rutgers at Michigan+24.0L7–3144.5L7–31UY
Sat 9/30Rutgers vs Wagner-46.0W52–352.5W52–3OY
Sat 10/7Rutgers at Wisconsin+12.5L13–2444.0L13–24UY
Sat 10/14Rutgers vs Michigan State-4.0W27–2438.5W27–24ON
Sat 10/21Rutgers at Indiana-6.0W31–1439.5W31–14OY
— Bye Week —
Sat 11/4Rutgers vs Ohio State+19.0L16–3542.5L16–35OY
Sat 11/11Rutgers at Iowa-2.5L0–2227.5L0–22UN
Sat 11/18Rutgers at Penn State+19.5L6–2739.5L6–27UN
Sat 11/25Rutgers vs Maryland+2.0L24–4245.5L24–42ON
Thu 12/28Rutgers vs Miami-3.0W31–2441.0W31–24OY
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2023 season
Rutgers PPA Edge
Agreement Signals — When All Metrics Agree
Elite · 83.1% ATS
PPA + PPO + SR + Havoc
All 4 Agree
→ Rutgers
Elite · 82.4% ATS
PPA + PPO + Havoc
3 Agree
→ Rutgers
Elite · 73.9% ATS
PPA + Success Rate
Both Agree
→ Rutgers
Individual Factors — Ranked by Predictive Strength
PPA Overall
Points added per play · Elite predictor
Northwestern #113
+0.247
Rutgers #107
+0.255
Rutgers Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
Northwestern #100
+0.400
Rutgers #126
+0.293
Northwestern Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
Northwestern #115
0.141
Rutgers #107
0.145
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
Rutgers Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
Northwestern #48
+7.589
Rutgers #62
+7.599
Rutgers Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
Northwestern #110
+0.829
Rutgers #91
+0.831
Rutgers Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
Northwestern #57
70.3
Rutgers #50
70.0
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Rutgers Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2023 season · Edges are matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense)
Power Ratings
Team Power Ratings
Overall · Offense · Defense ratings · Updated as season progresses
Northwestern Rated Higher
Overall Power Rating
Northwestern
-0.6
Rutgers
-2.0
Offense Rating
Northwestern
16.0
Rutgers
13.9
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
Northwestern
16.6
Rutgers
15.9
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum? Northwestern Edge
Avg sequences created per game
Northwestern #47
0.00
Rutgers #87
0.00
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
Northwestern #35
0.00
Rutgers #67
0.00
Northwestern +0.00
CSS Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.4% of games historically
Based on 0 games this season
Game Control (GC)
Win Probability Dominance Who controls games start to finish? Northwestern Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
Northwestern #1
0.0
Rutgers #1
0.0
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
Northwestern #67
0.0
Rutgers #76
0.0
Northwestern +0.0
GC Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 50.6% of games historically
Based on 0 games this season
Spread Context
ATS Historical Context
Based on 2021–2025 backtest · FBS vs FBS · Regular season

Both metrics agree on Rutgers, but the GC edge is small. When metrics agree but GC is near-neutral, the agreed-upon team has covered only 46.7% of the time historically (n=224) — potentially a fade signal.

ATS data is informational only. Past cover rates do not guarantee future results.

Coaching Matchup
Northwestern
David Braun #1
1–2 (33%) · Yr 1 at school
OC Mike Bajakian Yr 3 #1
DC Vacant Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
Rutgers
Greg Schiano #1
15–22 (41%) · Yr 4 at school
OC Kirk Ciarrocca Yr 1 #1
DC Joe Harasymiak Yr 2 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
About these metrics
Advanced Stats shows matchup-adjusted factor edges (offense vs opponent defense). Combination signals — when PPA, PPO, Success Rate, and Havoc all point the same direction — have historically predicted the SU winner in 95–97% of games and the ATS winner in 82–83% of games (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS, regular season).
Impact: Advanced Stats are the best performance based metric used to predict the outcome of games.

Momentum Control (CSS) measures consecutive scoring sequences — when a team scores, holds the opponent scoreless, then scores again. Teams entering a game with a CSS edge of +1.0 or more have won 71–78% of games historically (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS).
Impact: CSS is not a predictive ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Game Control (GC) measures win probability dominance — how thoroughly a team controlled the game from start to finish. Teams with a GC edge of +12 or more have won 67–76% of games historically. When both metrics agree, combined confidence is higher. When they split, treat as a lean at best.
Impact: GS is not a predictive ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Power Ratings are a custom-built composite of a Teams Talent, Experience & Production, Coaching & Performance Metrics. These are updated constantly with roster changes, performance once the games start for the 2026 season, injuries the team is dealing with and scheduling situations.
Impact: There are a wide range of power ratings available, we think ours is the best, you can decide for yourself