// CFB · September 5, 2026

S Dakota St vs Northwestern prediction & odds

9/5 - 8:00 PM EDT · Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium · SDST 1-0 — NU 0-0 · lines via DraftKings

The prices

MarketSDSTNU
Moneyline+390-520
Run line+12.5
Total 46.5Over -110Under -110

S Dakota St vs Northwestern prediction

Market-implied pickWin chanceProjected score
Northwestern80% Northwestern 30, S Dakota St 17

Strip the book's cut out and the market calls this a clear Northwestern favorite. The question is not who wins but whether -520 is worth paying for it — see the break-even row below. On the total, the over is the cheaper side of 46.5 at the posted prices. The projected score is the posted total split by the spread — the market's own expected margin, not a model of ours. Our own side on this game, if we take one, goes out in the newsletter before kickoff.

What the market really thinks

SDSTNU
Win chance (no-vig)19.6%80.4%
Break-even at the price20.4%83.9%

Both posted prices together imply more than 100% — that surplus (4.3% here) is what the book keeps. Strip it out and the market makes this SDST 19.6%, NU 80.4%. The break-even row is the win rate you'd need at the posted price just to tread water — the gap between the two rows is the cost of the bet.

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