Iowa vs. Northern Illinois
Iowa and Northern Illinois have 11 meetings on file, the first in 1985; Iowa leads the series 10–1 in the games on file. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Iowa 9–1, and Iowa has won the last 2. Share
2029 at Iowa Sept. 15. As the programs’ Wikipedia articles list them (CC BY-SA).
- Iowa wins
- 10
- Northern Illinois wins
- 1
- Ties
- 0
- Earliest on file
- 1985
- Longest streak
- 8 Iowa
- Current streak
- 2 Iowa
- Last 10 meetings
- Iowa 9–1
- Most recent
- 2026
The series at a glance
| ’0 | ’1 | ’2 | ’3 | ’4 | ’5 | ’6 | ’7 | ’8 | ’9 | W–L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2–0 | ||||||||||
| 1990s | 3–0 | ||||||||||
| 2000s | 2–0 | ||||||||||
| 2010s | 2–1 | ||||||||||
| 2020s | 1–0 |
- Average margin
- 25.8 points; 2 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
- At Iowa
- 8–1 Iowa’s record at home
- Neutral sites
- 2–0 Iowa first
- Shutouts
- 2
Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.
Games that tell the story
- Iowa’s biggest win1986: Iowa 57, Northern Illinois 3by 54 points
- Northern Illinois’s biggest win2013: Northern Illinois 30, Iowa 27by 3 points
Coach against coach
| Years | Iowa | Series | Northern Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2007 | Kirk Ferentz | 3–0 | Joe Novak |
Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Iowa’s side (Ferentz 3–0 against Novak). 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.
On television
| 2026 | BTN | 0.5 million viewers |
Viewers: Nielsen, as compiled by nschultz7’s ratings tracker.
Every game
| Sep 5, 2026 | 22Iowa 40, Northern Illinois 0 | at Iowa | ||
| Sep 1, 2018 | Iowa 33, Northern Illinois 7 | at Iowa | ||
| Aug 31, 2013 | Northern Illinois 30, Iowa 27 | at Iowa | ||
| Sep 1, 2012 | Iowa 18, Northern Illinois 17 | Neutral site | ||
| Sep 1, 2007 | Iowa 16, Northern Illinois 3 | Neutral site | ||
| Oct 28, 2006 | Iowa 24, Northern Illinois 14 | at Iowa | ||
| Sep 18, 1999 | Iowa 24, Northern Illinois 0 | at Iowa | ||
| Nov 6, 1993 | Iowa 54, Northern Illinois 20 | at Iowa | ||
| Sep 28, 1991 | 9Iowa 58, Northern Illinois 7 | at Iowa | ||
| Sep 20, 1986 | Iowa 57, Northern Illinois 3 | at Iowa | ||
| Sep 21, 1985 | 4Iowa 48, Northern Illinois 20 | at Iowa |
Every game is listed as played on the field.