NCAAF · NIU at GAST
Picks close 15 minutes before game time (ET)Your Picks on Northern Illinois vs Georgia State
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Both teams showed offensive promise in their latest losses, but those performances leave too much uncertainty to justify a wager.
The Northern Illinois Huskies visit the Georgia State Panthers on September 26 in the 2026 college football season. NIU Athletics confirms a 1 p.m. CT kickoff on ESPN+.
SportsJaw lists Georgia State at -390 on the moneyline and -9.5 (-115) on the spread. Northern Illinois is +295 on the moneyline and +9.5 (-105). The total is over 55.5 (-113) or under 55.5 (-107).
Georgia State lost 44-30 at UCF on September 19 after leading 24-20 at halftime. The Panthers scored on five of six possessions following their opening two drives, with a six-yard touchdown pass and a 78-yard touchdown run contributing to their second-quarter surge.
The second half offered substantial counterevidence: Georgia State managed six points and 162 yards while committing three turnovers, including interceptions on consecutive third-quarter possessions. That contrast makes it difficult to use the early scoring burst as a foundation for laying 9.5 points.
Northern Illinois is 0-3 following a 42-17 loss at Arizona. The Huskies gained a season-high 341 yards but allowed 441. In his first NIU start, Taron Dickens completed 25 of 37 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown.
Telly Johnson Jr. contributed 69 rushing yards on 12 carries, and DeAree Rogers caught 10 passes for 68 yards. Those contributions provide an encouraging offensive signal, but one performance against Arizona does not establish how effectively NIU will move the ball against Georgia State.
Pass. The available results do not establish an advantage on either moneyline or spread. Georgia State's productive first half and subsequent turnovers point in different directions, while NIU's improved yardage came alongside a 25-point defeat.
The 55.5 total also lacks a firm basis for a recommendation. Scoring and yardage against different opponents cannot establish a dependable combined projection here. With no supported pricing edge, neither a winner nor an exact score is selected.