It's been such a whirlwind week at Northwestern that it's a jolt to remember they still have a game on Saturday.

Just in the last few days, the Wildcats landed two Class of 2024 commitments, the Big Ten dropped its conference slates from 2024-28 and former head coach Pat Fitzgerald' filed his lawsuit. All that is the backdrop for Northwestern's Homecoming game against Howard.

This is the first matchup between the Wildcats the FCS Bison, and the first-ever game between Northwestern and an HBCU. Howard will be bringing its famous "Showtime" marching band, and a football team sitting at 2-2 on the season.

Interim head coach David Braun, himself a coaching alum of FCS power North Dakota State and a player at Division II Winona State, was adamant that they won't take their opponent for granted.

Can Northwestern keep Howard's explosive offense from running rampant? Can the Wildcats head into their mid-season bye week at 3-3?

Our staff weighs in with their predictions.

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MORE NORTHWESTERN COVERAGE: 10 things to know about the Howard Bison | Euchre and youth football rivalries forge Northwestern's kicking success | Press conference notes: Braun won't overlook Howard on Homecoming l The 3-2-1 going into Week 6

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Northwestern doesn't want to take Howard for granted ahead of their bye week but I still think there are some tangible and intangible roadblocks to an easy one. First, Ben Bryant is banged up. He's been visibly injured or left early in three of Northwestern's five games. I have confidence in Bryant to execute the offense, but I'd be surprised if they air it out the way they did in the second half against Minnesota. I expect them to grind Howard down with the ground game and really let Cam Porter control the game.

The intangible effect is that no matter how much Braun and the staff talk, that bye week still looks tantalizing. After two physical, intense games against Minnesota and Penn State, it's only human to step off the gas. I think NU takes care of business, but Howard's offense puts a scare in them early and it's only a three-score win.

Fearless forecast: Northwestern 31, Howard 10

Howard is no pushover, and this is a classic trap game. But for some reason, I don't feel that concerned about the Wildcats in this one. Over the last few years, the Wildcats have been a wildly up-and-down team that lost a lot of gimme games -- including one to an FCS opponent just last season.

I don't get that sense from this team. Like their interim head coach, it took them a little while to get their legs under them. But they've been pretty consistent in recent weeks. They play solid defense, they struggle offensively -- except for the second half against UTEP and the fourth quarter against Minnesota -- and they grind.

Howard has some punch offensively and they may hang around for a while. I think this one may look a lot like the Wildcats' win over UTEP in Week 2, though if Bryant doesn't play or is limited, it might be a little closer. I'm not sure if Northwestern can just pound this one out on the ground, even against an FCS opponent.

Fearless forecast: Northwestern 34, Howard 17