San Diego State vs. Northern Illinois picks, predictions for college football Week 5 game

Aztecs and Huskies square off in DeKalb, Illinois

Sep 5, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Northern Illinois Huskies quarterback Josh Holst | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Fresh off a stunning 34-0 win against the previously undefeated California Golden Bears, the San Diego State Aztecs will hit the road to face Northern Illinois in the final non-conference game for both teams. 

The Aztecs will look to keep up the momentum they gained in the signature win so far in the Sean Lewis era. After Saturday, the Aztecs will begin their final season in the Mountain West Conference by hosting Colorado State. 

This is an interesting matchup because while the Aztecs are one of five teams that will be leaving the Mountain West for the reformulated Pac-12, the Huskies will help fill the gap by joining the MW next season.

Several outlets and media personnel have made their picks for the Week 5 matchup at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb. San Diego State is a 2.5-point favorite and the over/under is 43.5 points, according to FanDuel.

Here's a look at how a few prognosticators foresee the Aztecs-Huskies matchup playing out.

Bleacher Report: San Diego State 23, NIU 20

Bleacher Report's David Kenyon is all aboard with the Aztecs, a week after picking them to lose by two touchdowns to Cal. He’s got them covering the spread on the road to improve to 3-1.

Dimers.com: San Diego State 23, NIU 22

After simulating the outcome of the Aztecs-Huskies matchup more than 10,000 times, Dimers.com’s model gives San Diego State a 53% win probability on the moneyline but gives the Huskies a 54% win probability against the spread.

ESPN SP+: San Diego State 24, NIU 19

Bill Connelly's SP+ model, a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measurement of college football efficiency, gives the Aztecs a 61% chance of beating the Huskies on the road. Connelly's metrics-based formulas picked Cal to beat SDSU by 13 points last week.

Odds Shark: NIU 20, San Diego State 19

Odds Shark's computer predicts the Huskies will win, cover the spread and the total will go under. It predicts the Huskies to win 19.4-18.8, so we’ll interpret that to mean 20-19.

Sportsbook Wire: NIU 24, SDSU 16

USA TODAY's sports betting site has NIU more than covering the spread and the score to go under.