Our side
MoneylineNEV to win
ours 41%
Projected score
24–23
NEV – NIU
2026-11-14 · kickoff TBD
Huskie Stadium · Dekalb, IL
Early season
The books
No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.
Series
Nevada and Northern Illinois split 2 (1–1)
· 2 meetings since 1993
2025 unit ranks —
last completed season, from games actually played
Run game
even
12 ranks apart
Nevada Wolf Pack #179 rush offense
Northern Illinois Huskies #167 run defense
Pass game
edge Northern Illinois Huskies
216 ranks
Nevada Wolf Pack #263 pass offense
Northern Illinois Huskies #47 pass defense
Run game
edge Northern Illinois Huskies
117 ranks
Northern Illinois Huskies #133 rush offense
Nevada Wolf Pack #250 run defense
Pass game
edge Nevada Wolf Pack
117 ranks
Northern Illinois Huskies #232 pass offense
Nevada Wolf Pack #115 pass defense
Nevada Wolf Pack
Run-heavy · 64% run
Ball-control
Northern Illinois Huskies
Run-heavy · 71% run
Ball-control
Jeff Choate · 6-19
Thomas Hammock · 35-47
Ranked by team-unit strength
(rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265
D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the
2025 season.
The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above
Who carried each team in 2025
Nevada Wolf Pack
DL
Dylan LaBarbera
15 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 1.5 TFL
#16 DL
LB
EJ Smith
24 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 3.0 TFL
#13 LB
RB
Dominic Kelley
236 rush yds · 2 TD · 1 rec
#53 RB
LB
Jeremy Naborne-Owens
14 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 1.0 TFL
#150 LB
Northern Illinois Huskies
LB
Jashawn Nelson
19 tkl · 0.5 sacks · 1.5 TFL
#47 LB
DB
Avery Jones
11 tkl
#136 DB
LB
Jack Murray
18 tkl · 0.5 TFL
#108 LB
DB
Andruw Ellis
1 tkl · 1 INT
#204 DB
Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their
position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no
2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for
these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.
Power breakdown
Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).
Where the number comes from
Nevada offense vs Northern Illinois defense-7.4 pts
Northern Illinois offense vs Nevada defense-13.2 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 1,624 mi
Altitude · context only1,136 m lower than the visitor's home elevation
An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have
played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.
Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest
were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them.
Adding them again would double-count.