Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats prediction, odds and picks, November 27, 2026
Illinois at Northwestern: Bandwagon's model makes Northwestern a 54% favorite (Northwestern −1.5).
Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats odds and win probability
Axle gives Northwestern a 54% chance to win, by about 2 points.
Bandwagon Axle 2.0 · Updated
Bandwagon's model, not a sportsbook line. We do not take wagers.
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Why Axle has Northwestern
All CFB ratings| ILL | NU | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 1590 36th of 138 | 1559 50th of 138 |
| Last 5 games | 4-1 | 3-2 |
| Streak | W4 | L2 |
| Home field | No | Yes |
| Meetings won | 3 | 1 |
Blue marks the better side of each row. This line uses ratings from results and home advantage; last 5 results, streak and meetings are context only, not inputs.
How Axle's line has moved
Every stored line
| Stored | NU win | Move |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 10, 11:52 PM ET | 54% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 11:52 PM ET | 54% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 10:43 PM ET | 54% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 5:03 AM ET | 54% | 0 |
| Nov 9, 5:04 AM ET | 54% | — |
Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats prediction
Bandwagon's model makes the Wildcats a 1.5-point favorite at home, with a 54% chance to win. The model total is 51.5. Ratings: Wildcats 1559 (50th of 138), Fighting Illini 1590 (36th). The Wildcats have won 3 of their last 5; the Fighting Illini 4 of their last 5. The two have met 4 times in Bandwagon's results history; the Wildcats won 1, the Fighting Illini 3.
Written from the numbers on this page by a template; nothing here is an opinion.
Form, head-to-head and injuries
Recent form
Illinois Fighting Illini
| Opponent | Kick (ET) | Result | Picks | Axle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs Nebraska Cornhuskers | W 24–13 | – | – | matchup | |
| at Maryland Terrapins | W 20–17 | – | – | matchup | |
| vs Oregon Ducks | W 21–10 | – | – | matchup | |
| at Michigan State Spartans | W 38–37 | – | – | matchup | |
| vs Purdue Boilermakers | L 17–24 | – | – | matchup |
Northwestern Wildcats
| Opponent | Kick (ET) | Result | Picks | Axle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs Iowa Hawkeyes | L 10–24 | – | – | matchup | |
| at Oregon Ducks | L 26–34 | – | – | matchup | |
| vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights | W 42–14 | – | – | matchup | |
| at Michigan State Spartans | W 24–21 | – | – | matchup | |
| vs Ball State Cardinals | W 45–14 | – | – | matchup |
Head-to-head
| Game | Kick (ET) | Result | Picks | Axle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Wildcats at Illinois Fighting Illini | 13–20 | – | – | matchup | |
| Illinois Fighting Illini at Northwestern Wildcats | 38–28 | – | – | matchup | |
| Northwestern Wildcats at Illinois Fighting Illini | 45–43 | – | – | matchup | |
| Illinois Fighting Illini at Northwestern Wildcats | 41–3 | – | – | matchup |
Injuries
Illinois Fighting Illini: nobody listed as injured by the roster source
Northwestern Wildcats: nobody listed as injured by the roster source
From the roster source's status flag only; no depth chart or game-time status.
Standings and ratings
All ratings- Fighting Illini– 8th · W4
- Fighting Illini rating1590 36th of 138, 8 games
- Wildcats– 9th · L2
- Wildcats rating1559 50th of 138, 8 games
More CFB games in the next 7 days
The bandwagon on each team
NCAA Division I FBS football · 8th · streak W4
No stances yet today on $ILL: the share of the crowd ▲ on the Illinois Fighting Illini bandwagon, fans and neutrals counted apart.
NCAA Division I FBS football · 9th · streak L2
No stances yet today on $NU: the share of the crowd ▲ on the Northwestern Wildcats bandwagon, fans and neutrals counted apart.
Takes on Illinois Fighting Illini at Northwestern Wildcats
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How Axle makes this line
How this line is made
In NCAA Division I FBS football a line is made from the ratings and home advantage alone: a calibration layer using the other inputs did not beat rating-only out of sample here. Travel and time zones did not improve the line here; injuries and weather are collected but not yet measured.
Internal
- Ratings from results usedan Elo-style rating per team from every final score, with margin of victory · Bandwagon's stored results
- Home advantage usedthe league's home edge, none at a neutral site · Bandwagon's model constants, checked against results
- Schedule in the data, not usedrest days, back-to-back games and three games in four days · Bandwagon's stored fixtures
- Recent form in the data, not usedaverage margin over each side's last games this season · Bandwagon's stored results
External
- Injuries unavailable for this game · More than three days to kickoff; lists are used inside that windowplayers listed out or doubtful, weighted by their share of the team's playing time · Public injury lists and box scores
- Travel and time zones unavailable for this game · A previous venue or its coordinates is not storeddistance and time-zone change from each side's last game to the venue · Wikidata venue coordinates, Open-Meteo time zones
- Weather unavailable for this game · No forecast stored before kickoffforecast wind, rain and temperature around kickoff at open-air venues · Open-Meteo forecasts
Prediction markets and the crowd's split are shown beside the model's lines for comparison. They are not inputs. Method and record.
Model: Northwestern 54% to win. Projected score Northwestern 27, Illinois 25; spread Northwestern −1.5, total 51.5. Illinois Fighting Illini at Northwestern Wildcats, Sat, Nov 28, 12:00 AM ET.