Fearless Forecast: Northwestern at Tulane
The 2025 season is here and Northwestern opens up with a road game at Tulane, their first time starting a season with a non-conference road game since 2019, when they played Stanford.
The Wildcats head into this game as 5.5-point underdogs per BetMGM, with the over/under set at 46.5. You can expect weather to play a factor, as the National Weather Service is forecasting 83 degrees at kick, with a 76% chance of rain.
Northwestern made expanded use of the transfer portal this offseason, bringing in 15 new players, including premier starting quarterback Preston Stone. After a 4-8 (2-7 Big Ten) campaign in 2024, they hope that’s the infusion of new blood they needed.
Things are very different for the Green Wave. They went 9-5 (7-1 American) last season but after an exodus of their top talent, they’ve replenished through the portal and have a total of 60 new players on the roster.
Can the Wildcats overcome the weather to get a tough win in the Big Easy? Or will the Green Wave roll on their home field? Our staff weighs in with their picks.
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Matt Shelton
The Green Wave are nothing to be trifled with and head coach Jon Sumrall is held in very high regard across the sport. That regard is well-founded after his inaugural campaign had Tulane in the conference championship game. But there are, I think, too many new variables for Tulane to get the best out of their team in Week 1. Presumptive starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff, in from BYU, has only been around the team for fall camp in August.
The Wildcats have plenty of new faces, including at quarterback, in their own right, but also have a lot of key veteran players that can turn the tide in their favor. They have the chance to set the tone at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, with lines spearheaded by NFL hopefuls: offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan and edge rusher Anto Saka.
Stone has the chance to be one of the best pocket passers in recent Northwestern history, and even if the heat and potential rain limit the passing game and the inexperienced receiving corps, the Wildcats have a seasoned and sturdy ground game with Cam Porter and Joseph Himon II. I think Northwestern leans on its experience and ekes out a win on the road to start the season.
Prediction: Northwestern 24, Tulane 21
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Louie Vaccher
Northwestern didn’t do themselves any favors by scheduling an opener in August in steamy New Orleans, against a Group of Five power like Tulane. And make no mistake: this is a big game for the Wildcats. Win it, and you can see a path to six wins and a bowl game. Lose it, and the rest of the schedule looks
There are three reasons I like the Wildcats in this one.
The first is that Stone is their quarterback. I don’t think I need to say more than that. He’s the best playmaker they’ve had at the position since…well, quite a while.
Secondly, Tulane has a lot of new pieces to assimilate this season, especially on offense. They lost their quarterback and running back to Duke and Oregon, respectively, and four of their top five receivers. They replaced them with talented players, including a proven quarterback in Retzlaff. But can the former BYU star run the Green Wave’s offense after only a month a campus? I think Northwestern’s defense is going to make things very difficult on him.
Lastly, I like that Tulane’s base defense is a 3-3-5. We’ll find out if Northwestern’s new-look offensive line can be a physical Big Ten unit and control the line of scrimmage. The Wildcats should be able to pound the ball with Porter and Himon, and wear down that Green Wave defense (the heat can work both ways). Then Stone can go to work and hit them over the top with that deep ball that head coach David Braun likes to talk about so much.
Prediction: Northwestern 23, Tulane 20
