On Saturday, the Illini make the short trek to Chicago’s Wrigley Field, where they’re set to take on in-state rival Northwestern (11 a.m. CT, on Big Ten Network) in a battle for the Land of Lincoln Trophy. The Wildcats (4-7, 2-6 Big Ten) have dropped four of their last five, including last week’s 50-6 thrashing by Michigan.

Series trends: In 2003, as a 6-point underdog at Illinois, Northwestern scored a 45-43 upset, keeping the Illini from qualifying for a bowl game. The two years before that, the Illini won big – 41-3 in 2022 and 47-14 in 2021 – covering easily as the favorites. All three games went over.

No. 23 Illinois can match its highest win total in 17 years and move within one of the school record if it beats struggling Northwestern at Wrigley Field to close out the regular season.

In this week's "Polling Place," we also asked if Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson is the right guy for the job.

Illinois comes in at No. 23 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and with three losses remains a long shot to make the coveted Top 12. Still, it's coach