No. 22 Illinois still has some big goals to achieve. The Illini can match their highest win total in 17 years and move within one of the school record if they beat struggling Northwestern at Wrigley Field to close out the regular season.

Illinois comes in at No. 23 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and with three losses remains a long shot to make the coveted Top 12. Still, it's coach

Series trends: In 2003, as a 6-point underdog at Illinois, Northwestern scored a 45-43 upset, keeping the Illini from qualifying for a bowl game. The two years before that, the Illini won big – 41-3 in 2022 and 47-14 in 2021 – covering easily as the favorites. All three games went over.