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UPCOMING Saturday, November 28 · TBD

Illinois Fighting IlliniIllinois vs Northwestern WildcatsNorthwestern

Ryan Field

Scoring by quarter

Average points per quarter, 2026 season

Illinois vs Northwestern scoreboard
Team Q1Q2Q3Q4 Game
Illinois 9.09.62.69.4 30.6
Northwestern 6.07.88.810.5 33.1
Illinois vs Northwestern scoring by quarter
Illinois Qtr Northwestern
9.0Q16.0
9.6Q27.8
2.6Q38.8
9.4Q410.5
30.6Game33.1

Rivalry highlights

Series record
59-55
Illinois first, 119 meetings since 1892
Series leader
Illinois
Illinois lead 59-55 in 119 meetings since 1892
Widest recent margin
38 points
Illinois 41-3 Northwestern, 2022
Tightest recent margin
2 points
Northwestern 45-43 Illinois, 2023
Highest recent total
88 points
Northwestern 45-43 Illinois, 2023

Key players by position

Starters by position
Illinois Pos Northwestern
Katin Houser QB Aidan Chiles
Ca'Lil Valentine RB Caleb Komolafe
Collin Dixon WR Griffin Wilde
Davin Stoffel TE Luke Dehnicke
Joe Barna DL Brendan Flakes
Ismael Kante LB Kobie McKinzie
Matthew Bailey DB Robert Fitzgerald

Each side's leader at the position this season, by real production. Full rosters live on each team hub.

Head to head

Full rivalry page
Illinois 59 119 meetings since 1892 55 Northwestern

Illinois lead 59-55 in 119 meetings since 1892 Series leader: Illinois.

Team stats, 2026 season

IllinoisNorthwestern
30.611th Points per game 7th33.0
26.015th Points allowed 8th16.8
404.810th Total yards per game 7th437.8
6.77th Yards per play 5th6.9
155.69th Rush yards per game 4th212.8
249.28th Pass yards per game 14th225.0
22.49th First downs per game 10th21.5
45.5%8th Third-down rate 10th41.3%
-112th Turnover margin 4th+5
217th Takeaways 7th7
318th Sacks 15th6
65th Sacks allowed 12th8
43.44th Penalty yards per game 12th64.0
27:2618th Time of possession 10th31:01

Rank within each team's conference. 2026 season totals to date from CollegeFootballData.

Illinois: last 15 games

8-7 in the last 15 · 26.7 scored · 27.7 allowed
LOST 10-63 scored 10 · allowed 63 See game WON 34-32 scored 34 · allowed 32 See game WON 43-27 scored 43 · allowed 27 See game LOST 16-34 scored 16 · allowed 34 See game LOST 25-42 scored 25 · allowed 42 See game WON 35-13 scored 35 · allowed 13 See game WON 24-6 scored 24 · allowed 6 See game LOST 10-27 scored 10 · allowed 27 See game WON 20-13 scored 20 · allowed 13 See game WON 30-28 scored 30 · allowed 28 See game WON 42-23 scored 42 · allowed 23 See game LOST 27-31 scored 27 · allowed 31 See game WON 48-10 scored 48 · allowed 10 See game LOST 19-42 scored 19 · allowed 42 See game LOST 17-24 scored 17 · allowed 24 See game

Northwestern: last 15 games

9-6 in the last 15 · 26.1 scored · 19.7 allowed
LOST 14-34 scored 14 · allowed 34 See game WON 17-14 scored 17 · allowed 14 See game WON 42-7 scored 42 · allowed 7 See game WON 22-21 scored 22 · allowed 21 See game WON 19-0 scored 19 · allowed 0 See game LOST 21-28 scored 21 · allowed 28 See game LOST 17-38 scored 17 · allowed 38 See game LOST 22-24 scored 22 · allowed 24 See game WON 38-35 scored 38 · allowed 35 See game LOST 13-20 scored 13 · allowed 20 See game WON 34-7 scored 34 · allowed 7 See game WON 34-18 scored 34 · allowed 18 See game WON 41-7 scored 41 · allowed 7 See game LOST 23-29 scored 23 · allowed 29 See game WON 34-13 scored 34 · allowed 13 See game

The matchup

Team comparison
Illinois Split Northwestern
2-32026 record3-1
0-2Conference1-1
153Points for132
130Points against67
L2FormW1

Recent meetings

2025
Northwestern 13 : 20 Illinois
2024
Illinois 38 : 28 Northwestern
2023
Northwestern 45 : 43 Illinois
2022
Illinois 41 : 3 Northwestern
2021
Northwestern 14 : 47 Illinois
2020
Illinois 10 : 28 Northwestern
How to watch
TVNot announced yet
Betting line
Spread Illinois -3.5
Total 52.5
21+. Lines move, we timestamp them.
Make your pick
vs
10 pts correct · 20 for a called upset · locks at kickoff. Predictions league & leaderboard →
Illinois · QB Katin Houser
Pass yards
1246
Pass TD
11
Comp-Att
102-155
INT
3
Laughery rush
321 yds
Dixon rec
546 yds
Northwestern · QB Aidan Chiles
Pass yards
900
Pass TD
6
Comp-Att
63-89
INT
0
Komolafe rush
290 yds
Wilde rec
281 yds
Illinois Fighting IlliniIllinois2026 roster
2 Carson Boyd QB 4 Katin Houser QB 7 Michael Clayton II QB 12 Dane Eisenmenger QB 5 Ca'Lil Valentine RB 20 John Forster RB 21 Aidan Laughery RB 22 Cedric Wyche II RB 23 Jordan Anderson RB 24 Javari Barnett RB 25 Nelsyn Wheeler RB 27 Corey Rashad RB 31 Murphy Clement RB 0 Nas Rankin WR 1 Jayshon Platt WR 3 Kenyon Alston WR 6 Jershaun Newton WR 8 Davon Grant WR 9 Alex Perry WR 10 Ty Robinson WR 11 Brayden Trimble WR 13 Hudson Clement WR 17 Collin Dixon WR 19 Nate Cichy WR 28 Karson Kaiser WR 80 Eddie Kasper WR 81 Leslie Mosley Jr. WR 82 Jacob Harvey WR 14 Maurice Smith Jr. TE 16 Logan Farrell TE 83 Kaden Feagin TE 84 Grant Smith TE 85 Will Vala III TE 86 Christian Abney TE 87 BJ Thurman TE 88 Davin Stoffel TE 89 Tanner Hollinger TE 51 Alfred Washington OL 52 Champ Smith OL 53 Kai Pritchard OL 54 Griffin Rousseau OL 55 TJ McMillen OL 56 JJ Hirdes OL 57 Zach Barrett OL 58 Landen Von Seggern OL 59 Jake Renfro OL 62 Casey Thomann OL 65 Dezmond Schuster OL 66 Brandon Hansen OL 68 Michael McDonough OL 70 Maika Matelau OL 71 Nathan Knapik OL 72 Christian Martin OL 74 Zafir Stewart OL 75 Brandon Henderson OL 76 Dylan Frechette OL 78 Eddie Tuerk OL 79 TJ Taylor OL 15 Kingston Shaw DL 17 Isaiah Thomison DL 43 Joe Barna DL 51 Parker Crim DL 52 Pat Farrell DL 54 Demetrius John DL 55 Tony Balanganayi DL 56 Guillermo Gallardo DL 90 Carter Janki DL 91 Cameron Brooks DL 92 Deon Williams DL 93 Ean Rhea DL 94 Connor Sullivan DL 95 Isaiah White DL 96 Darrell Prater DL 98 Joshua Davis DL 99 King Liggins DL 4 Daniel Brown LB 8 Cameron Thomas LB 10 James Kreutz LB 11 Jacob Alexander LB 18 Mason Muragin LB 23 Jaylen Stewart LB 24 Will Holmes LB 26 Ismael Kante LB 28 Kayden Bennett LB 30 Tony Williams LB 33 Grant Beerman LB 34 Erik Gayle LB 38 Jack Paris LB 45 Robert Edmonson LB 48 Carter Smith LB 0 Mac Resetich DB 1 Xavier Scott DB 2 RJ Jones III DB 3 Nick Hankins Jr. DB 5 Jakwon Morris DB 6 Juice Clarke DB 7 Matthew Bailey DB 9 Lavon Williams DB 12 Isaiah Williams DB 13 Xanai Scott DB 14 Andre Lovett Jr. DB 16 Tanner Heckel DB 19 Jacob Eberhart DB 20 Almirian Thomas DB 21 Ben Clawson DB 22 Deuce Fillmore DB 25 Des Straughton DB 29 James Finley IV DB 32 Tywan Cox DB 35 Kaedyn Cobbs DB 37 Caden Considine DB 27 Lucas Osada PK 37 Ethan Moczulski PK 18 Jack Gray P 81 Lars Rau P 44 Patrick Mahoney III LS 49 Zach Haber LS
Northwestern WildcatsNorthwestern2026 roster
0 Aidan Chiles QB 2 Ryan Boe QB 4 Nicco Marchiol QB 9 Johnny O'Brien QB 11 Aidan Gray QB 13 Gavin Frakes QB 15 Sean Winton QB 5 Caleb Komolafe RB 6 Joseph Himon II RB 7 Mar'Kel Porter RB 12 Marcus Romain RB 22 Daniel Anderson RB 27 Gavin Sawchuk RB 36 Sean Morris II RB 3 Frank Covey IV WR 8 Hayden Eligon II WR 10 Ricky Ahumaraeze WR 11 Keaton Reinke WR 14 Dube Enongene WR 16 Brennan Saxe WR 17 Griffin Wilde WR 18 Camp Magee WR 19 Drew Wagner WR 20 Chase Farrell WR 80 Braden Blueitt WR 82 Jaden McDuffie WR 87 Carson Grove WR 89 Cam Russell WR 41 Robby Preckel TE 43 Noah LaPorte TE 48 Tyler Kielmeyer TE 81 Chris Petrucci TE 83 Blake Van Buren TE 84 Luke Dehnicke TE 85 Tom McGlinchey TE 86 Alex Honig TE 50 Owen Fors OL 52 Angelo De Sensi OL 60 Hayden Flavin OL 61 David Anchondo OL 62 Ezomo Oratokhai OL 64 Anthony Birsa OL 65 Jackson Carsello OL 66 Owen Jakubczak OL 67 Jace Borcherding OL 68 Quinn Wicklow OL 69 Patrick Schaller OL 70 Leighton Burbach OL 71 Dennis Rahouski OL 72 Jack Fuchs OL 73 Deuce McGuire OL 74 Grant Seagren OL 75 Arkel Anugwom OL 76 Michael O'Connell OL 77 Idrys Cotton OL 78 Trey Boyd OL 79 Jacob Miller OL 5 Dominic Kirks DL 15 Brendan Flakes DL 24 Jamaal Johnson DL 44 Callen Campbell DL 47 Michael Kilbane DL 52 Calvin Lorek DL 53 Tanner Jumpp DL 54 Tyler Gant DL 55 Dylan Roberts DL 56 Tre Hoskins DL 57 Nick Costa DL 58 Ronald Derrick III DL 63 Nick Zalewski DL 88 Migo Jackson DL 90 Jack Trautmann DL 91 Caden O'Rourke DL 92 Mason Green DL 93 Glory Stephen-Wangboje DL 94 Gage LaDere DL 95 Mason Mayne DL 96 Jonah Hayes DL 97 Braxton Strong DL 98 Landon Lauter DL 99 Troy Regovich DL 2 Kobie McKinzie LB 32 Matthew Smith LB 33 Braydon Brus LB 34 Payton Roth LB 37 Max Mohring LB 38 Josh Veldman LB 39 Parker Maiers LB 40 Jason Reynolds II LB 42 Nigel Glover LB 45 Jack Sadowsky V LB 46 Lincoln Creager LB 49 Amare Jordan LB 50 Qayvier Johnson LB 51 Miles Crutchley LB 0 Alijah Jones DB 3 Brenden Deasfernandes DB 4 Montae Pate DB 6 Robert Fitzgerald DB 7 Ore Adeyi DB 9 Braden Turner DB 11 Seth Valeri DB 12 Gabe Davis-Ray DB 13 Josh Fussell DB 16 J.J. Lewis DB 17 Jaden Vaughn DB 21 Damon Walters DB 22 Terrion Curry-Hicks DB 23 Cole Shivers DB 25 Marquet Dorsey Jr. DB 26 Jalen Lewis DB 27 Jack Oyola DB 28 Timi Oke DB 29 Jon Jon Stevens Jr. DB 31 Tito Williams Jr. DB 35 Sean Martin DB 36 Nate Dawson DB 90 Jackson Kleather PK 94 Henry Helms PK 98 Noah Sur PK 92 Nikola Dugandzic P 95 Marko Dubak P 59 Jack Florentine LS 60 Evan Boutorwick LS
Next up
Illinois Fighting Illini

No further fixtures listed.

Next up
Northwestern Wildcats

No further fixtures listed.

Matchup stats

Matchup predictor

60% ILL
40% NU

Win probability from the current point spread

Last five games

Illinois

DateOppResult
10-03 vsPUR L 17-24
09-26 atOSU L 19-42
09-19 vsSIU W 48-10
09-12 vsDUKE L 27-31
09-03 vsUAB W 42-23

Northwestern

DateOppResult
10-02 vsPSU W 34-13
09-25 atIU L 23-29
09-19 vsCOLO W 41-7
09-05 vsSDST W 34-18
12-26 vsCMU W 34-7

Completed results from CollegeFootballData via the CFB Data Hub

2026 standings

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

How to watch Illinois vs Northwestern

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats, TBD at Ryan Field on November 28, 2026.

  1. TV Kickoff is TBD. The network has not been announced yet, usually 6 to 12 days before kickoff.
  2. Live updates Live score, play-by-play and match player stats for Illinois vs Northwestern update on this page.

Illinois vs Northwestern: preview and how to watch

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats kicks off TBD at Ryan Field on November 28, 2026. This Big Ten game page carries the live score on gameday, betting line, TV channel and player stats once it kicks off, alongside the Illinois and Northwestern team hubs, the match center, the schedule and the live standings. For the wider grudge history between these teams, see the Big Ten rivalry pages.

Around the game

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Frequently asked questions

What channel is Illinois vs Northwestern on?

The TV network for Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats is set by the conference's TV partners, usually 6 to 12 days before kickoff (TBD).

What is the line for Illinois vs Northwestern?

The current line for Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats is Illinois -3.5, with a total of 52.5. Odds are entertainment only, 21+.

When does Illinois play Northwestern?

Kickoff for Illinois vs Northwestern is TBD at Ryan Field, on November 28, 2026.