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 89 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 · no games yet
at
TBDET
ILL -3.5 · total 52.5 DraftKings
Ratings differential ILL by 1.3
Big Ten · no games yet
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
No completed games on record.
Northwestern form
No completed games on record.
Illinois this season
No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.
Northwestern this season
No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.
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 Wk 4 · scheduled preview | at Wk 11 · scheduled preview |
| Michigan St Big Ten | at Wk 6 · scheduled 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 2025 regular season
| Passing | Luke Altmyer QB #9 | 226/332, 2811 YDS, 21 TD, 5 INT |
| Hank Beatty WR #80 | 2/2, 31 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Rushing | Ca'Lil Valentine RB #5 | 123 CAR, 549 YDS, 4 TD |
| Kaden Feagin TE #83 | 119 CAR, 499 YDS, 7 TD | |
| Aidan Laughery RB #21 | 62 CAR, 305 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Receiving | Hank Beatty WR #80 | 64 REC, 826 YDS, 3 TD |
| Collin Dixon WR #17 | 33 REC, 538 YDS, 5 TD | |
| Hudson Clement WR #13 | 33 REC, 406 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Justin Bowick WR #0 | 19 REC, 234 YDS, 4 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Matthew Bailey DB #7 | 76 |
| Miles Scott S #10 | 59 | |
| Dylan Rosiek LB #28 | 49 | |
| Sacks | Gabe Jacas EDGE #17 | 11 |
| Leon Lowery Jr. LB #9 | 2 | |
| Tomiwa Durojaiye DL #13 | 2 | |
| Interceptions | Miles Scott S #10 | 3 |
| Dylan Rosiek LB #28 | 1 | |
| Torrie Cox Jr. DB #5 | 1 |
Northwestern leaders 2025 regular season
| Passing | Preston Stone QB #8 | 203/339, 2174 YDS, 14 TD, 12 INT |
| Ryan Boe QB #2 | 1/3, 7 YDS | |
| Rushing | Caleb Komolafe RB #5 | 175 CAR, 886 YDS, 10 TD |
| Joseph Himon II RB #6 | 99 CAR, 486 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Dashun Reeder RB #24 | 22 CAR, 222 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Griffin Wilde WR #17 | 61 REC, 783 YDS, 6 TD |
| Hayden Eligon II WR #8 | 34 REC, 476 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Hunter Welcing TE #84 | 27 REC, 283 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Drew Wagner WR #19 | 22 REC, 172 YDS, 2 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Robert Fitzgerald DB #6 | 109 |
| Mac Uihlein LB #37 | 92 | |
| Braydon Brus LB #33 | 70 | |
| Sacks | Aidan Hubbard DE #91 | 4.5 |
| Michael Kilbane DL #47 | 3.5 | |
| Anto Saka DE #14 | 3 | |
| Interceptions | Mac Uihlein LB #37 | 4 |
| Najee Story DL #95 | 1 | |
| Ore Adeyi DB #7 | 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.