It’s the LOL Bowl, the Land of Lincoln trophy or LOL trophy game. Or you could call it “the hat,” the Lincoln hat, or LOL HAT game. What ever you want to call it, it’s the Illinois Fighting Illini versus the Northwestern Wildcats, and it will be under the lights on Saturday night. the first November night game in Gies Memorial Stadium history.
Doing something different for the Land of Lincoln Trophy Game Preview this year- it’s actually a video segment, and part of a guest spot I did while appearing on the Locked on Illini podcast.
Obvioulsy, the episode is embedded above here.
Special thanks to Sunny Verna for having me on. Meanwhile all the requisite FYIs for the LOL Bowl are listed out below.
Land of Lincoln Hat Trophy Game FYIs
Kickoff: Saturday, November 29, 6:30 pm CT | Gies Memorial Stadium | Champaign, Illinois
Last meeting: Illini won 38-28, at Wrigley Field, last season.
Bowl Game Projections: Northwestern Illinois
FOX (Connor Onion, Mark Helfrich)
WGN 720 AM (Dave Eanet, Ted Albrecht, Jake Saunders) SiriusXM (372)
Fun Fact: In 2001, Illinois made a risky move (which obviously backfired) to move this game to Thanksgiving itself, and attendance was dreadful (despite the weather being great that day). The few who did show up got to see Illinois clinch a Big Ten title.
And that was the second time they clinched a Big Ten title on Thanksgiving, the other being in 1963.
Spread: Illinois -6.5, over/under 46.5
Series History: 119th meeting, the Illini lead 58-55-5 all-time, so it’s a very evenly matched series
Illini (7-4, 4-4 Big Ten)
For much more on the Illini, check out these artices here, here, here and here
Northwestern (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten)
For much more on the Cats, check out these artices here, here and here
Prediction: Illini 28, Northwestern 21
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.