Last season, a grand total of 0 recruits from the state of Illinois chose the Fighting Illini over Northwestern when both schools offered scholarships to said player.
Former Illinois coach Tim Beckman, who was fired right before the start of the 2015 season on the heels of a player abuse scandal, often cited his team's recruiting advantage in the state and in the greater Chicagoland area over Pat Fitzgerald's during his time in Champaign. In 2014, he claimed dominance based on the fact that his class included four Chicagoland commits to Northwestern's three.
In actuality, Northwestern kicked Illinois' ass in recruiting.