The Northwestern Wildcats have put together a surprising season, heading to a bowl game and standing 6-4-1 against the spread.
Meanwhile, the Illinois Fighting Illini have been largely seen as a disappointment, a preseason Playoff darkhorse that is now 7-4 and mostly forgotten about.
But the Illini season has been more encouraging than widely realized, and my Northwestern vs. Illinois predictions and college football picks will put faith in the Illini in what is also a letdown spot for the Wildcats on Saturday, November 29.
Northwestern vs Illinois prediction
Northwestern vs Illinois best bet: Illinois -7.5 (-110)
The Illinois Fighting Illini entered the season ranked No. 12 in the AP Top 25, another argument that preseason rankings are not only meaningless but also misleading.
On the surface, the Illini have been a great disappointment, but much of that ranking was always a nod to Illinois’s schedule, facing only Ohio State of the Big Ten’s expected Top 3.
But Indiana turned the Big Ten on its head again, and that blowout loss was largely the difference between Illinois living up to most expectations and falling short, at least until last week’s surprise of a clunker at Wisconsin.
For the most part, the Illini have met bookmakers’ benchmarks, certainly up until last week’s surprise dud. Including that 17-point loss as a 9-point favorite, Illinois is 5-1 against the spread as a multiple-score favorite this season, including 4-0 ATS as a multiple-score favorite at home.
With the Northwestern Wildcats in a ripe letdown spot after reaching bowl eligibility last week thanks to a last-minute win against Minnesota, trusting the Illini to again cover a multiple-score spread carries plenty of logic.
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Northwestern vs Illinois same-game parlay
Northwestern's defense has surprisingly fallen off in its last three games, an outright liability in all three but worse so against Minnesota.
That may have ended in a win, but it was still an analytical mess. Most precisely, the Wildcats are struggling to defend the pass.
Northwestern vs Illinois 3-leg SGP
- Illinois -7.5
- Over 44.5
- Luke Altmyer Over 230.5 passing yards
Our deep-ball SGP: Stone holds his own
As Illinois gets out to a multiple-score lead, Northwestern will chip away downfield with a modest passing game. And the Illini will be okay with that, ranking No. 130 in the country in dropback success rate against but No. 57 in expected points added (EPA) per dropback against.
Northwestern vs Illinois 5-leg SGP
- Illinois -7.5
- Over 44.5
- Luke Altmyer Over 230.5 passing yards
- Preston Stone Over 173.5 passing yards
- Preston Stone Over 0.5 passing TDs
Northwestern vs Illinois odds
- Spread: Northwestern +7.5 | Illinois -7.5
- Moneyline: Northwestern +250 | Illinois -310
- Over/Under: Over 44.5 | Under 44.5
Northwestern vs Illinois trend to know
Illinois is 5-1 ATS at home this season, the only outright and ATS loss coming to Ohio State. Find more college football betting trends for Northwestern vs Illinois.
How to watch Northwestern vs Illinois
| Location | Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL |
| Date | Saturday, November 29, 2025 |
| Kickoff | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | FOX |
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Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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