After an offseason wracked by scandal, the first game of the 2023 season is here. Northwestern and interim head coach David Braun will kick off on the road at Rutgers, a matchup that has been friendly for the Wildcats.

Northwestern has won both of its games against Rutgers since they joined the Big Ten, albeit by just 17 points combined. Both teams will be hungry to start their season with a win after finishing 2022 with just one conference victory a piece.

Despite the close nature of the series and Northwestern's past success, Rutgers stands as a 6.5-point favorite. Can Northwestern pull off an upset to win Braun's first game as head coach? Can Rutgers beat the Wildcats for the first time this century?

Our staff weighs in with their predictions.

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MORE ON NU vs. RUTGERS: Five things to watch for on Sunday | Behind Enemy Lines: Rutgers | Braun's media persona takes shape as season kicks off | Takeaways from David Braun's Week 1 press conference

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Braun has a good launchpad for his head coaching career in a far from hostile environment in Piscataway against a Rutgers team that went 4-8 last year. However, there's just too much uncertainty for me to pick a Wildcats win. The quarterback battle publicly concluded just last week and, while I like both candidates, offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian was still responsible for the 128th best scoring offense in the FBS last season.

The offensive line will have four players making their first Week 1 starts and the defensive line remains a question mark at tackle beyond Najee Story. First game jitters are to be expected every season, but with seven new members of the Northwestern coaching staff, they'll be more prevalent than ever. Add in the dual threat capabilities of Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt and I predict the Scarlet Knights cover the spread and start the season with a win over the Wildcats.

Fearless forecast: Rutgers 24, Northwestern 17

The last time Northwestern played in Piscataway, a walk-on pre-med running back from Hawaii named Chad Hanaoka accounted for 41 all-purpose yards on a team that won the Big Ten West in 2018. This summer, Hanaoka published a comparative study on pain as part of his schoolwork with Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine.

This has nothing to do with the Rutgers game, but thanks to Hanaoka and a coaching staff that kept things under wraps in fall camp, I know more about how to identify early signs of joint disease than how Northwestern will line up on Sunday.

The Wildcats found upgrades at important skill positions in the portal and I'm excited to see Cam Porter as a lead back. I don't think a Rutgers defense that finished 10th in the Big Ten in sacks last season is going to overwhelm an inexperienced NU offensive line.

But most importantly, I think Northwestern is headed to New Jersey with nothing to lose and playing Rutgers without the pressure that comes from being favorites is enticing. Enough for me to pick the Wildcats to win a close one in the Birthplace of College Football.

Fearless Forecast: Northwestern 20, Rutgers 17

Northwestern should come out with its hair on fire on Sunday. They've been anxiously anticipating the start of the season since the hazing scandal blew up on them in July and resulted in their beloved head coach getting fired.

This team feels like they've been under attack for the last two months. They have a boulder, not a chip on their shoulder. They have something to prove about themselves and their program. That's a dangerous team.

In many ways, Rutgers is an ideal opponent for the Wildcats. The Scarlet Knights are also coming off of a one-win Big Ten season. They have an anemic offense and an unproven quarterback. Northwestern is a 6.5-point underdog, ideal for a team that seems to play better in that position.

If Northwestern can hang onto the football (they had the worst turnover margin in the nation last season), stop the run (they ranked 110th in the nation) and make a big play or two (hello, AJ Henning), they can win this game. Northwestern has the edge at quarterback, assuming that it is sixth-year grad transfer Ben Bryant, and that could be enough right there.

The Cats are riding on emotion in this game. So am I with this pick.

Fearless forecast: Northwestern 23, Rutgers 20