Wk 13 · 2026
Illinois Fighting Illini at Northwestern Wildcats — Sat, Nov 28
Sat, Nov 28 ·
Ryan Field, Evanston, IL
Weather
No forecast yet. This one is 47 days away and has no kickoff time yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
Big Ten · 3-3
at
TBDET
ILL -3.5 · total 52.5 DraftKings
Ratings differential NU by 11.2
Big Ten · 4-1
What is at stake
Land of Lincoln Trophy. Chicago's Big Ten game: a stovepipe-hat trophy, 140 miles of separation, and bragging rights over every alumni bar in the state. They play for the Land of Lincoln Trophy. A Big Ten game — it counts in the standings that decide that league's championship game. Run the race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
Illinois form
W 38-37at MSUL 17-24vs PURL 19-42at OSUW 48-10vs SIUL 27-31vs DUKE
2026 season
Northwestern form
W 45-14vs BALLW 34-13vs PSUL 23-29at IUW 41-7vs COLOW 34-18vs SDST
2026 season
Illinois this season
Straight up3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Against the spread2-4 · 33% (6 games)
Over / under5-1 · 83% (6 games)
Northwestern this season
Straight up4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Against the spread4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Over / under5-0 · 100% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 4
| Opponent | Illinois | Northwestern |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio State Big Ten | at L 19-42 preview | at Wk 11 · scheduled preview |
| Michigan St Big Ten | at W 38-37 preview | at Wk 7 · scheduled preview |
| Oregon Big Ten | vs Wk 8 · scheduled preview | at Wk 9 · scheduled preview |
| Iowa Big Ten | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 10 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Northwestern leads 12–8 · Illinois has won the last 2
20 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
2.0 points toward Northwestern
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2025-11-29 | Northwestern 13 — 20 Illinois | at ILL | Illinois |
| 2024 | 2024-11-30 | Illinois 38 — 28 Northwestern | neutral | Illinois |
| 2023 | 2023-11-25 | Northwestern 45 — 43 Illinois | at ILL | Northwestern |
| 2022 | 2022-11-26 | Illinois 41 — 3 Northwestern | at NU | Illinois |
| 2021 | 2021-11-27 | Northwestern 14 — 47 Illinois | at ILL | Illinois |
| 2020 | 2020-12-12 | Illinois 10 — 28 Northwestern | at NU | Northwestern |
| 2019 | 2019-11-30 | Northwestern 29 — 10 Illinois | at ILL | Northwestern |
| 2018 | 2018-11-24 | Illinois 16 — 24 Northwestern | at NU | Northwestern |
| 2017 | 2017-11-25 | Northwestern 42 — 7 Illinois | at ILL | Northwestern |
| 2016 | 2016-11-26 | Illinois 21 — 42 Northwestern | at NU | Northwestern |
| 2015 | 2015-11-28 | Northwestern 24 — 14 Illinois | neutral | Northwestern |
| 2014 | 2014-11-29 | Illinois 47 — 33 Northwestern | at NU | Illinois |
| 2013 | 2013-11-30 | Northwestern 37 — 34 Illinois | at ILL | Northwestern |
| 2012 | 2012-11-24 | Illinois 14 — 50 Northwestern | at NU | Northwestern |
| 2011 | 2011-10-01 | Northwestern 35 — 38 Illinois | at ILL | Illinois |
| 2010 | 2010-11-20 | Illinois 48 — 27 Northwestern | at NU | Illinois |
| 2009 | 2009-11-14 | Northwestern 21 — 16 Illinois | at ILL | Northwestern |
| 2008 | 2008-11-22 | Illinois 10 — 27 Northwestern | at NU | Northwestern |
| 2007 | 2007-11-17 | Northwestern 22 — 41 Illinois | at ILL | Illinois |
| 2006 | 2006-11-18 | Illinois 16 — 27 Northwestern | at NU | Northwestern |
Illinois leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Katin Houser QB #4 | 102/155, 1246 YDS, 11 TD, 3 INT |
| Rushing | Aidan Laughery RB #21 | 45 CAR, 321 YDS, 1 TD |
| Ca'Lil Valentine RB #5 | 50 CAR, 225 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Katin Houser QB #4 | 25 CAR, 106 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Collin Dixon WR #17 | 40 REC, 546 YDS, 8 TD |
| Hudson Clement WR #13 | 21 REC, 299 YDS | |
| Ty Robinson WR #10 | 11 REC, 159 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Brayden Trimble WR #11 | 15 REC, 116 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Matthew Bailey DB #7 | 37 |
| Ismael Kante LB #26 | 29 | |
| Juice Clarke DB #6 | 24 | |
| Sacks | Will Holmes DL #24 | 1 |
| Ean Rhea LB #40 | 1 | |
| Joe Barna DL #43 | 0.5 | |
| Interceptions | Matthew Bailey DB #7 | 1 |
| Ismael Kante LB #26 | 1 |
Northwestern leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Aidan Chiles QB #0 | 63/89, 900 YDS, 6 TD |
| Rushing | Caleb Komolafe RB #5 | 52 CAR, 290 YDS, 2 TD |
| Joseph Himon II RB #6 | 20 CAR, 277 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Gavin Sawchuk RB #27 | 33 CAR, 170 YDS | |
| Receiving | Griffin Wilde WR #17 | 16 REC, 281 YDS, 2 TD |
| Luke Dehnicke TE #84 | 11 REC, 208 YDS | |
| Alex Honig TE #86 | 7 REC, 97 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Drew Wagner WR #19 | 12 REC, 97 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Robert Fitzgerald DB #6 | 42 |
| Kobie McKinzie LB #2 | 32 | |
| Braydon Brus LB #33 | 30 | |
| Sacks | Braydon Brus LB #33 | 3 |
| Kobie McKinzie LB #2 | 1 | |
| Jamaal Johnson DL #24 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Ore Adeyi DB #7 | 1 |
| Robert Fitzgerald DB #6 | 1 | |
| Braydon Brus LB #33 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.