Who's Playing

Western Illinois Leathernecks @ N. Illinois Huskies

Current Records: Western Illinois 0-0, N. Illinois 0-0

How To Watch

  • When: Saturday, August 31, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. ET
  • Where: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium -- DeKalb, Illinois
  • TV: ESPN+
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
  • Ticket Cost: $20.50

What to Know

The Western Illinois Leathernecks will hit the road to start this year's campaign against the N. Illinois Huskies. Kickoff is scheduled at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium.

Saturday's contest might be decided in the trenches. N. Illinois was unstoppable on the ground last season, having averaged 178.8 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Western Illinois, though, as they averaged only 47.6.

Looking back to last season, N. Illinois wound up perfectly balanced, finishing 6-6. On the other hand, Western Illinois finished with a dismal 0-11 record.

Going forward, N. Illinois is probably looking forward to this one considering their 35.5 advantage in the spread. They finished last season with a 5-7 record against the spread.

While the experts think N. Illinois is more likely to win, they finished last season an even 4-4 as the favorite. A bettor who placed a $100 dollar bet on them to lose every one of the 12 games they played last year would have netted $306.72. Sadly, Western Illinois will open their season as the underdog, and the team was 0-10 as such last year.

Odds

N. Illinois is a big 35.5-point favorite against Western Illinois, according to the latest college football odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 35.5-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is 55 points.

See college football picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Western Illinois won the only game these two teams have played in the last 8 years.

  • Sep 24, 2016 - Western Illinois 28 vs. N. Illinois 23