Northern Illinois vs Wyoming Picks and Prediction for Saturday October 17 2026
War Memorial Stadium will be the setting for a Mountain West Conference battle between the Northern Illinois Huskies and the Wyoming Cowboys. The game will take place on Saturday October 17, 2026 at 3:30 pm EST and can be seen on the CW Network. The Cowboys are a 7.5 point home favorite and the total is set at 40.5. Be sure to check out our free college football picks for more NCAAF predictions throughout the season.
Northern Illinois trying to find their way in a new conference
The Northern Illinois Huskies were one of the better teams in the MAC Conference over the last 15 years and are playing in their first season in the Mountain West Conference. The Huskies (0-5) have scored more than 17 points just once and are one of the worst rushing teams in the country. On Saturday, Northern Illinois gave up 439 rushing yards to Air Force during a lifeless 28-7 home loss.
Northern Illinois junior RB Telly Johnson Jr. carried eight times for 47 yards and a touchdown. QB Taron Dickens managed just 140 yards through the air and was intercepted. Dickens added 33 rushing yards for the Huskies, who allowed the Falcons to possess the ball for nearly 40 minutes.
Northern Illinois ranks in the bottom ten nationally in total offense (290.8 ypg) and is scoring an anemic 12.4 points per game. The Huskies do a decent job of taking care of the ball, but are dead last in red zone efficiency at a woeful 33.3 scoring rate. Northern Illinois is stuck at the bottom of the conference in total defense (396.9 ypg) and surrendered 34.6 points on average.
Wyoming still lacking explosiveness on offense
The Wyoming Cowboys dropped their season opener by 22 points against rival Colorado State, then have alternated wins and losses since. The Cowboys (3-3) have won two of their three Mountain West Conference games, but have scored just 43 points total in those contests. Last week, Erik Sandvik kicked a 21-yard field goal in overtime to lift Wyoming to a 16-13 road victory against San Jose State.
Wyoming tied the game with six plus minutes remaining on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Hughes to Jake Wilson. Hughes contributed 92 rushing yards on a season-high 27 carries. Senior DE Esaia Bogar added 1.5 sacks for the Cowboys, who possessed the ball for more than 37 minutes.
Wyoming came into the season wanting to be more explosive on offense, but it has not worked out. The Cowboys rank third worst in the conference in total offense (301.8 ypg) and are averaging 14.5 points per game. Wyoming is buttoned up on the defensive side of the ball and are allowing 20.5 on average.
Northern Illinois vs Wyoming Picks and Prediction
Pick: Wyoming -7.5
These two teams met twice as non-conference opponents and Wyoming emerged victorious both times. The Huskies are 2-3 ATS and the Cowboys have been one of the worst teams against the number with a 1-5 ATS record. Wyoming is in a perfect get right spot and the altitude will play a major factor for visiting Northern Illinois. Take the Cowboys to win and cover.
Pick: Over 40.5
In the two previous meetings, there was a total of 74 and 93 points scored. Northern Illinois ranks in the bottom ten nationally in rushing defense, so Wyoming will be able to move the ball on early downs. That will set up their play action passing game. Taron Dickens is talented enough to put some points on the board for the Huskies in catch-up mode. Play the contrarian over.