It's hat week, and Northwestern (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten) comes in riding a six-game winning streak against an Illinois (2-9, 0-8) team has been brutally bad this season. Here are some scenarios in which Northwestern will or won't beat the Fighting Illini this Saturday in Champaign.
1. Justin Jackson will go out in style in his final B1G game
Illinois' run defense is not good. In fact, it's one of the worst in the nation, ranking 109th in S&P+. The Fighting Illini's front seven does a decent job of limiting big runs, but, on the whole, doesn't do a great job at forcing negative or minimal gains.