The Illinois Fighting Illini beat Northwestern last night, 20-13, to keep the Land of Lincoln Hat in Champaign. The first November night game in Memorial Stadium history, and the first game in this series to be broadcast on regular, old-fashioned over-the-air television, also ended up as the snowiest Illini home game ever.
Illini safety Miles Scott certainly had a senior night to remember, picking off Northwestern QB Preston Stone twice. Elsewhere Gabe Jacas registered a pair of sacks, the 26th and 27th of his career, finishing the regular season as the Big Ten sacks leader with 11.0.
Certainly this game is one that we’ll all remember, and be talking about in the years ahead. Yes, even despite how “pragmatic” it was, on the whole.
The Illini have now tied the program record for wins during a two-year period with its 18th victory between the 2024 and 2025 seasons. It is the fourth time Illinois has won 18 games over a two-year period, joining 1989-90, 1902-03, and 1901-02.
The Illini also have 8+ wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1989-90. The Illini have never won 9+ games in back-to-back seasons.
(For the Northwestern bowl game projections go here)
Illini Bowl Projections
ESPN: One guy has them in the Reliaquest versus Kentucky, the other one has them in the Pinstripe vs Pitt
Could really go either way, but it seems to be shifting towards Tampa.
USA Today: Music City vs Mizzou
Braggin’ Rights!
Both ESPN and USAT have not updated yet, as of Sunday morning. When they do finally update, we’ll include those predictions here.
These are all new, as of Sunday morning Nov. 30
College Football News: Reliaquest vs Miami
This is the Outback Bowl, just for those that don’t know.
CBS Sports: Reliaquest vs Tennessee
This is actually a pretty good matchup for the Illinois Fighting Illini
Athlon Sports: Pinstripe vs Clemson
Bielema vs Dabo is certainly a clash of personality styles.
PFSN: Music City vs LSU
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN.