The Northwestern Wildcats and Michigan State Spartans kick off their 2021 seasons on Friday when they collide in a Big Ten matchup at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill. Kickoff is 9 p.m. ET. The Wildcats are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Northwestern vs. Michigan State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the Over-Under for total points scored is 45.5. (See the latest college football lines for all of this week's games on our college football odds page.)

Before you make any Michigan State vs. Northwestern picks and college football predictions, you need to see what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of more than $3,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters Week 1 of the 2021 season on a 57-37 run on all top-rated college football picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

The Wildcats are coming off a season in which they won the West Division of the Big Ten, smacked Auburn in the Citrus Bowl and finished 7-2. Northwestern is returning just four starters on each side of the ball, but one of those is All-America safety Brandon Joseph, who made six interceptions in 2020, which was tied for the most in the country, and allowed only one catch of 15 yards or more.

Meanwhile the Spartans are coming off a season in which they went 2-5 and finished last in the East Division. In an attempt to rebound quickly, the program added 20 transfers in the offseason, including five from SEC programs. Despite the roster turnover, Michigan State is widely projected to finish at or near the bottom of the East again, in Mel Tucker's second season as coach.

Now the model has simulated Northwestern vs. Michigan State 10,000 times, and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is projecting the total to stay Under 45.5 points, and it has generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60 percent of simulations. You absolutely need to see it before locking in your own picks.

Who wins the Big Ten battle between Northwestern and Michigan State? And which side of the spread is hitting in almost 60 percent of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the Michigan State vs. Northwestern spread you need to jump on Friday, all from the computer model that has crushed its college football picks!