The Wildcats came crashing down from the rush of victory last week when they were soundly beat, 38-14, on the road at Duke. Now they're back on home turf with their first matchup against a divisional opponent: Minnesota.

The student section will be packed for some mandatory fun as the incoming Class of 2027 will sprint across the field for their first home game on campus as part of Wildcat Welcome. Northwestern isn't off to a strong start with two three-score road losses this season, but Minnesota has had their share of struggles too.

Despite a rocky start, Minnesota is an 11.5-point favorite. The Gophers have dominated the series with the Wildcats over the past few seasons, winning three straight with an average margin of victory of nearly 24 points.

Can interim head coach David Braun pick up his first Big Ten win? Can the Wildcats beat PJ Fleck and his Golden Gophers for the first time since 2018?

We weigh in with our predictions.

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MORE NORTHWESTERN COVERAGE: Behind Enemy Lines: Minnesota | Cam Johnson's contagious leaderships spreads through wide receivers room l Anto Saka is off to a strong start as Northwestern's sacks leader | Press conference notes: Braun excited to be back at Ryan Field | The 3-2-1 going into Week 4

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I'm putting my early-season perfect prediction record in jeopardy and I'm going with the Wildcats. The 38-14 loss felt like a reversion back to the team's worst traits but the Blue Devils are well above Northwestern's weight class these days. Duke is ranked 18th and seems well on its way to another season with three or fewer losses. The loss stings, but at the end of the day the Wildcats fared only three points worse on margin than Clemson in their 28-7 debacle in Durham.

Minnesota has struggled nearly as much as Northwestern out of the gate. They narrowly edged out Nebraska, 13-10, beat Eastern Michigan by just 19 and then got smacked by now-No. 17 North Carolina, 31-13. They have a new quarterback in Athan Kaliakmanis who has been unable to punish a defense so far with his arm. After haranguing himself last week for a passive game plan against Duke, I expect interim head coach David Braun to cut his defense loose, pack the box and empty the clip.

The student section will be full with the freshman class and with the added excitement of a night game, it's one of Northwestern's best chances at a home field edge this season. The team is hungry to prove Duke was the exception, not the rule, and they know this is can be their first Big Ten win.

I think the stars align and the Wildcats beat the Gophers for the first time since 2018.

Fearless forecast: Northwestern 24, Minnesota 21

This is one of Northwestern's best chances to get a win in conference play. The Gophers have scored fewer points than the Wildcats through three games. Their quarterback is erratic. Their defense is in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten.

The Wildcats' game plan will be simple defensively: sell out to stop Darius Taylor and the running game and put the game squarely on the shoulders of Athan Kaliakmanis, who has completed just a hair over half of his passes and has an upside-down one-to-three TD-INT ratio. It's the stopping Taylor part that worries me. The Gophers aren't as potent on the ground as they usually are, but Duke pounded the Cats for 268 rushing yards last week, and Northwestern ranks in the triple digits nationally against the run.

Then, there's the little issue of offense. Even if Northwestern's defense is up to the task, can they score enough to win? The Wildcats' first unit has scored seven points in nearly eight quarters against Power Five defenses. Their ground game ranks 118th in the nation and averages 3.3 yards per carry. The line has trouble protecting Ben Bryant.

The Cats will hang around, and error-prone Minnesota might even help them stay in the game. But the Gophers will eventually grind them down.

Fearless forecast: Minnesota 23, Northwestern 14