Illinois State vs. Northern Illinois
Illinois State and Northern Illinois have 15 meetings on file, the first in 1972; Northern Illinois leads the series 10–5 in the games on file. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Northern Illinois 7–3. Share
- Illinois State wins
- 5
- Northern Illinois wins
- 10
- Ties
- 0
- Earliest on file
- 1972
- Longest streak
- 5 Northern Illinois
- Current streak
- 1 Illinois State
- Last 10 meetings
- Northern Illinois 7–3
- Most recent
- 2026
The series at a glance
| ’0 | ’1 | ’2 | ’3 | ’4 | ’5 | ’6 | ’7 | ’8 | ’9 | W–L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3–5 | ||||||||||
| 1980s | 1–1 | ||||||||||
| 1990s | 0–2 | ||||||||||
| 2000s | 0–1 | ||||||||||
| 2010s | 0–1 | ||||||||||
| 2020s | 1–0 |
- Average margin
- 16.3 points; 4 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
- At Illinois State
- 2–2 Illinois State’s record at home
- At Northern Illinois
- 8–3 Northern Illinois’s record at home
- Shutouts
- 1
Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.
Games that tell the story
- Illinois State’s biggest win1975: Illinois State 27, Northern Illinois 10by 17 points
- Northern Illinois’s biggest win2000: Northern Illinois 52, Illinois State 0by 52 points
- Upset1974: Illinois State 24, Northern Illinois 14Illinois State had a 15% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset1980: Illinois State 28, Northern Illinois 18Illinois State had a 17% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset1975: Illinois State 27, Northern Illinois 10Illinois State had a 23% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
Coach against coach
| Years | Illinois State | Series | Northern Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977–1979 | Charlie Cowdrey | 1–2 | Pat Culpepper |
Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Illinois State’s side (Cowdrey 1–2 against Culpepper). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.
Both programs through the years
Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.
Every game
Every game is listed as played on the field.