Illinois Takes On Northwestern Saturday Morning

Northwestern hosts Illinois in the regular-season finale on Saturday, then turns its attention toward the conference championship game against No. 3 Ohio State in Indianapolis on Dec. 19. For a team that went from winning the division in 2018 to finishing at the bottom, it’s quite a turnaround. With an unexpected bye after Minnesota canceled last week because of a COVID-19 outbreak within its program, the Wildcats (5-1, 5-1 Big Ten, No. 14 CFP) didn’t get a chance to celebrate following a win the way it did after a clinching victory two years ago at Iowa. Instead, the Wildcats had a walk-through Saturday and were presented the division trophy. Illinois (2-4, 2-4) looks to close on a winning note.