Big Ten Matchups

Iowa vs Northern Illinois

Iowa Hawkeyes vs Northern Illinois Huskies

Who wins Iowa vs Northern Illinois?

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Head-to-head on record

Iowa vs Northern Illinois series
TeamWinsSeries
Iowa Hawkeyes10Iowa leads
Northern Illinois Huskies1

Meetings since 1985: 11. Source: CollegeFootballData game log.

The series in numbers

Iowa has won the last 2 meetings.

10-1 Regular season
9-1 Last 10
36-11 Avg score
8 Longest Iowa win run

Biggest Iowa win 57-3 in 1986, a 54-point margin.

Biggest Iowa loss 27-30 in 2013, a 3-point margin.

Every Iowa vs Northern Illinois meeting

Iowa Hawkeyes vs Northern Illinois Huskies, every meeting on record
SeasonResultSiteScore
2026 Iowa win Iowa City 40-0
2018 Iowa win Iowa City 33-7
2013 Northern Illinois win Iowa City 27-30
2012 Iowa win Neutral 18-17
2007 Iowa win DeKalb 16-3
2006 Iowa win Iowa City 24-14
1999 Iowa win Iowa City 24-0
1993 Iowa win Iowa City 54-20
1991 Iowa win Iowa City 58-7
1986 Iowa win Iowa City 57-3
1985 Iowa win Iowa City 48-20

Scores from the Iowa perspective. Source: CollegeFootballData game log, since 1985.

Matchup stats

Last five games

Northern Illinois

DateOppResult
09-26 atGAST L 14-35
09-19 atARIZ L 17-42
09-12 vsILST L 24-28
09-05 atIOWA L 0-40
11-28 vsKENT L 31-35

Iowa

DateOppResult
10-03 vsOSU L 14-31
09-26 atMICH W 20-19
09-19 vsUNI W 55-0
09-12 vsISU W 16-13
09-05 vsNIU W 40-0

Completed results from CollegeFootballData via the CFB Data Hub

2026 standings

Mountain West

TeamWLTPCTPFPA
North Dakota State 500 1.00016849
New Mexico 410 .80021753
Air Force 310 .75011680
UNLV 320 .600125118
San José State 320 .600113125
Wyoming 230 .40071110
Nevada 130 .25010997
Hawai'i 140 .20088124
UTEP 140 .20082207
Northern Illinois 040 .00055145

Big Ten

TeamWLTPCTPFPA
Indiana 500 1.00022154
Nebraska 500 1.00021871
UCLA 400 1.00017975
USC 510 .833224153
Ohio State 410 .80021163
Iowa 410 .80014563
Wisconsin 410 .80015883
Minnesota 410 .80016090
Oregon 310 .75019093
Northwestern 310 .75013267
Penn State 320 .60016080
Washington 320 .60013392
Michigan 320 .60011579
Illinois 230 .400153130
Maryland 230 .400152151
Purdue 230 .400152175
Michigan State 230 .40091116
Rutgers 140 .200150161

Records computed from completed games this season

Iowa Hawkeyes lead the series since 1985, 10-1. Here is the series on record and how to watch when Iowa and Northern Illinois meet.

How to watch Iowa vs Northern Illinois

When Iowa and Northern Illinois are scheduled, here is how to find the game.

  1. National TV National windows are set by Set weekly by the conference TV partners (ESPN, ABC, FOX, FS1).
  2. Streaming ESPN+ and the FOX Sports app stream the national windows.
  3. Radio Listen on the Iowa radio network.
  4. Confirm kickoff Kickoff and the exact channel are set by the networks before game week. Check the match center for the Iowa vs Northern Illinois time and line.

The live time, line and how-to-watch details land on the match center and how to watch pages once the game is scheduled.

The Iowa this season

Follow Iowa in the title race on the Big Ten standings, and model the finish with the title race calculator. For the conference series that define the year, see the Big Ten rivalry pages, or browse every Big Ten matchup.

About the author and reviewer

Written by

The BIG10.CO Desk

Conference Newsroom · Independent Big Ten coverage since 2026

The house desk of BIG10.CO - independent researchers tracking every Big Ten game, stat and storyline.

Fact-checked by

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Fact & Data Review · Primary-source verification

Every stat and historical claim on data pages is checked against official box scores and the live feed before publication.

Independence: BIG10.CO was not paid by any school, network or sportsbook for this page. Corrections are logged in our editorial policy.

Iowa vs Northern Illinois: the essentials

Iowa Hawkeyes vs Northern Illinois Huskies is a non-conference matchup that sets the Big Ten against the Mountain West (Group of 6). Iowa Hawkeyes lead the series since 1985, 10-1. Across 11 meetings on record the series is one-sided so far, and whenever the two programs are scheduled this page carries the Iowa vs Northern Illinois head-to-head record, the matchup numbers for both sides, and how to watch on TV and streaming. It sits alongside the Iowa Hawkeyes team hub, the Big Ten this week round-up and the live conference standings. For Northern Illinois against the whole conference, see Northern Illinois vs the Big Ten.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the all-time record between Iowa and Northern Illinois?

Iowa Hawkeyes lead the series since 1985, 10-1. The two programs have met 11 times on record.

How can I watch Iowa vs Northern Illinois?

National windows are set by Set weekly by the conference TV partners (ESPN, ABC, FOX, FS1). Kickoff time and the exact channel are set by the networks before game week.

Are Iowa and Northern Illinois in the same conference?

No. Iowa plays in the Big Ten. Northern Illinois plays in the Mountain West (Group of 6). This is a non-conference game.