← Matchups

Northern Illinois

MAC · 0-2 · power -0.1 · #185
Our numberNDSU -15.2 no book has priced this game

North Dakota State

· 3-0 · power +18.9 · #43
Our side
MoneylineNDSU to win ours 83%
Projected score 18–33 NIU – NDSU
2026-11-21 · 4:00 PM Fargodome · Fargo, ND Indoors Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

Series North Dakota State lead 2–0 · 2 meetings since 1968
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game edge North Dakota State Bison 75 ranks
Northern Illinois Huskies #133 rush offense North Dakota State Bison #58 run defense
Pass game edge North Dakota State Bison 231 ranks
Northern Illinois Huskies #232 pass offense North Dakota State Bison #1 pass defense
Run game edge North Dakota State Bison 159 ranks
North Dakota State Bison #8 rush offense Northern Illinois Huskies #167 run defense
Pass game edge North Dakota State Bison 45 ranks
North Dakota State Bison #2 pass offense Northern Illinois Huskies #47 pass defense
Northern Illinois Huskies Run-heavy · 71% run Ball-control North Dakota State Bison Run-heavy · 67% run Ball-control Dual-threat QB · 60 rush ypg
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
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
North Dakota State Bison
K Drew Klein 6 FG · 13 XP · 31 pts #7 K
DB Marion Moore 3 tkl · 2 PD · 2 INT #110 DB
DL Kelton McCaslin 6 tkl · 2.5 sacks · 3.5 TFL #133 DL
LB Donovan Woolen 22 tkl #93 LB

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
TeamPowerOffDefRank
Northern Illinois HuskiesMAC -0.1 -4.2 +4.1 #185
North Dakota State Bison +18.9 +9.1 +9.8 #43

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
Northern Illinois offense vs North Dakota State defense-14.0 pts
North Dakota State offense vs Northern Illinois defense+5.0 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 524 mi

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.