Why Northwestern will/won't beat Illinois

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY SportsEvery Thursday or Friday during football season, we'll be presenting reasons why Northwestern will or won't come away from its Saturday game victorious. It's not so much an argument for or against either result as it is envisioning the scenarios in which the Wildcats come away from the game with a win or a loss.

It’s Hat Week! Tomorrow, Northwestern heads to Soldier Field to face a 5-6 Illinois team that is hoping to secure bowl eligibility. Northwestern has won four straight games and hopes to improve its current bowl situation with a victory against its rival. Illinois has lost five of its last six games and has struggled against good teams, but the Illini…