Wk 3 · 2026
Northern Illinois Huskies at Arizona Wildcats — Sat, Sep 19
Sat, Sep 19 ·
Casino Del Sol Stadium, Tucson, AZ
· TNT FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
at
10:30pET
ARIZ -34.5 · total 50.5 DraftKings opened -35.5 · 1 toward NIU
Ratings differential ARIZ by 28.5
What is at stake
A non-conference game. It moves both overall records but neither conference race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
N Illinois form
L 7-28vs AFL 14-35at GASTL 17-42at ARIZL 24-28vs ILSTL 0-40at IOWA
2026 season
Arizona form
W 52-31at WVUW 34-7vs CINW 34-24at WSUW 42-17vs NIUL 17-28at BYU
2026 season
N Illinois this season
Straight up0-5 · 0% (5 games)
Against the spread1-4 · 20% (5 games)
Over / under2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Arizona this season
Straight up5-1 · 83% (6 games)
Against the spread2-4 · 33% (6 games)
Over / under3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 0
These teams share no opponents on the 2026 schedule.
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Arizona leads 1–0 · Arizona won the last one
1 meeting
in 2006–2026 · average margin
25.0 points toward Arizona
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-19 | N Illinois 17 — 42 Arizona | at ARIZ | Arizona |
N Illinois leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Taron Dickens QB #5 | 84/120, 837 YDS, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Brady Davidson QB #2 | 4/6, 27 YDS | |
| Rushing | Telly Johnson Jr. RB #45 | 57 CAR, 253 YDS, 2 TD |
| Elijah Porter RB #24 | 16 CAR, 59 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Jaidaun Cranford RB #20 | 8 CAR, 59 YDS | |
| Receiving | DeAree Rogers WR #1 | 31 REC, 252 YDS, 2 TD |
| La'Don Bryant WR #0 | 14 REC, 185 YDS | |
| Cam Thompson WR #7 | 9 REC, 108 YDS, 1 TD | |
| George Dimopoulos WR #9 | 6 REC, 77 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Kyon Conyers S #16 | 27 |
| Jack Murray LB #44 | 26 | |
| Jashawn Nelson LB #6 | 25 | |
| Sacks | Avery Jones DB #2 | 2 |
| Jashawn Nelson LB #6 | 1.5 | |
| Kole Sneed DE #90 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Yassine Falke CB #5 | 3 |
| Kyon Conyers S #16 | 1 | |
| Andruw Ellis S #30 | 1 |
Arizona leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Noah Fifita QB #1 | 124/168, 1415 YDS, 13 TD, 3 INT |
| Sawyer Anderson QB #7 | 6/11, 84 YDS, 2 INT | |
| Rushing | Kedrick Reescano RB #3 | 61 CAR, 218 YDS, 3 TD |
| Antwan Roberts RB #44 | 16 CAR, 162 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Quincy Craig RB #24 | 22 CAR, 142 YDS | |
| Receiving | Tre Spivey WR #12 | 22 REC, 314 YDS, 4 TD |
| Giovanni Richardson WR #5 | 16 REC, 187 YDS | |
| Isaiah Mizell WR #17 | 13 REC, 176 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Chris Hunter WR #11 | 13 REC, 155 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Taye Brown LB #6 | 30 |
| Cooper Blomstrom LB #48 | 27 | |
| Malcolm Hartzog S #15 | 20 | |
| Sacks | Chase Kennedy LB #7 | 4 |
| Jabari Mann LB #11 | 1.5 | |
| Cooper Blomstrom LB #48 | 1.5 | |
| Interceptions | Quinn Olson S #35 | 1 |
| Cam Chapa S #13 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.