← Matchups

Illinois State

· 3-0 · power +13.0 · #67
Our numberUND -2.6 no book has priced this game

North Dakota

· 3-0 · power +12.7 · #70
Our side
MoneylineUND to win ours 56%
Projected score 30–32 ILST – UND
2026-11-07 · 2:00 PM Alerus Center · Grand Forks, ND Conference game Indoors Early season

The books

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

Series North Dakota lead 3–1 · 4 meetings since 1979
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game edge North Dakota Fighting Hawks 97 ranks
Illinois State Redbirds #123 rush offense North Dakota Fighting Hawks #26 run defense
Pass game even 27 ranks apart
Illinois State Redbirds #79 pass offense North Dakota Fighting Hawks #52 pass defense
Run game even 22 ranks apart
North Dakota Fighting Hawks #120 rush offense Illinois State Redbirds #142 run defense
Pass game edge North Dakota Fighting Hawks 61 ranks
North Dakota Fighting Hawks #73 pass offense Illinois State Redbirds #134 pass defense
Illinois State Redbirds Balanced · 55% run Avg pace North Dakota Fighting Hawks Run-heavy · 60% run Avg pace Dual-threat QB · 43 rush ypg

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
Illinois State Redbirds
DB Jack Oliver 6 tkl · 2 PD · 1 INT #47 DB
LB Tye Niekamp 14 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 4.0 TFL #64 LB
TE Alex Herrera 4 rec · 49 yds · 2 TD #43 TE
WR Dylan Lord 13 rec · 134 yds · 1 TD #134 WR
North Dakota Fighting Hawks
P Luke Silvernale 5 punts · 49.8 yd avg #2 P
WR Korey Tai 12 rec · 274 yds · 4 TD #30 WR
DB Jonnie Wiltshire 9 tkl · 2 PD · 1 INT #89 DB
DL Brody Thornton 8 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 4.0 TFL #114 DL

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
Illinois State Redbirds +13.0 +7.6 +5.4 #67
North Dakota Fighting Hawks +12.7 +10.8 +1.9 #70

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

Where the number comes from
Illinois State offense vs North Dakota defense+5.6 pts
North Dakota offense vs Illinois State defense+5.4 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 649 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.