Northern Illinois Football
Northern Illinois is an NCAA Division I FBS football program in the Mountain West, based in DeKalb, IL. The 2026 record stands at 0-8. The Cooper Predictor rates Northern Illinois at -19.9, No. 132 of 138 FBS teams and No. 9 of 10 in the Mountain West. The model projects a 1-11 finish, with CFP Odds of 0.2%. The model's pre-game picks are 7-1 in Northern Illinois games this season. Most recent result: lost to UNLV 24-31 on Oct 31. Next up: at San José State on Nov 7 — the model projects San José State 34-20, giving Northern Illinois a 22% chance to win.
Open Northern Illinois in Cooper Predictor U →Updated Nov 2, 2026 · power ratings compare teams within NCAA Division I FBS.
2026 schedule, predictions & results
| Date | Opponent | Projection | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | @ Iowa | L 6-38 3% ✓ | L 0-40 |
| Sep 12 | vs Illinois State | W 27-21 70% ✗ | L 24-28 |
| Sep 19 | @ Arizona | L 10-38 5% ✓ | L 17-42 |
| Sep 26 | @ Georgia State | L 24-34 29% ✓ | L 14-35 |
| Oct 10 | vs Air Force | L 24-31 35% ✓ | L 7-28 |
| Oct 17 | @ Wyoming | L 17-21 36% ✓ | L 23-41 |
| Oct 24 | vs Hawai'i | L 21-24 43% ✓ | L 21-56 |
| Oct 31 | @ UNLV | L 17-38 10% ✓ | L 24-31 |
| Nov 7 | @ San José State | L 20-34 22% | — |
| Nov 13 | vs Nevada | L 24-34 28% | — |
| Nov 21 | @ North Dakota State | L 13-38 6% | — |
| Nov 27 | vs UTEP | W 34-27 67% | — |
Projection = the model's pick, projected score and Northern Illinois's win probability. For games already played it is the pick frozen before kickoff, with ✓ or ✗ beside it — every pick stays public.
Mountain West by power rating
| # | Team | 2026 | Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  New Mexico | 7-1 | +4.9 |
| 2 |  North Dakota State | 7-2 | +3.4 |
| 3 |  UNLV | 5-3 | -4.5 |
| 4 |  Air Force | 6-2 | -5.4 |
| 5 |  Nevada | 3-5 | -8.3 |
| 6 |  Hawai'i | 2-6 | -9.9 |
| 7 |  San José State | 4-5 | -10.4 |
| 8 |  Wyoming | 5-3 | -11.2 |
| 9 | Northern Illinois | 0-8 | -19.9 |
| 10 |  UTEP | 1-7 | -23.4 |
High schools on the Northern Illinois roster
From publicly published rosters, for the high school states the Cooper Predictor covers. Some rosters do not list a high school, so a player may be missing.
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