Northern Illinois Huskies (0-0) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (0-0) September 5, 2026 4:15 pm EDT The Line: Iowa Hawkeyes -11.5; Over/Under: 45.5 (Get latest betting odds)
The Northern Illinois Huskies and the Iowa Hawkeyes meet Saturday in college football action from Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Here’s an Iowa vs Northern Illinois prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Iowa vs Northern Illinois pick.
Northern Illinois had a forgettable season in 2025, which was their last dance in the MAC (the team joins the Mountain West this year). The Huskies managed to go just 3-9 overall last year, with a 2-6 run in conference play. That result would leave NIU way down in 11th place, ahead of only UMass in the standings. Northern Illinois’ season was highlighted by a six-game losing streak and a 1-3 run to close out the year over the last four games.
Let’s turn the page to 2026. The team will be led by interim head coach Rob Harley, who will have first-year offensive coordinator Tony Petersen beside him on the sideline. Harley and Petersen will have some options at QB this year, as well as a couple of interesting guys in the skill positions. RB Telly Johnson is back in the fold after 5.7 yards per carry last season, and DeAree Rogers will be the big-name receiver.
Over on the Hawkeyes’ side, they fought through a very tough Big Ten slate last year on the way to a 9-4 overall record. Iowa went 6-3 in the conference games, which put the team in a respectable sixth-place position behind Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and USC. In the ReliaQuest Bowl, the Hawkeyes finished off their campaign with a 34-27 win over Vanderbilt.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz will be back for an impressive 28th season at the helm for Iowa. He’ll get veteran DC Phil Parker (15th year) and offensive coordinator Tim Lester (third year) back as well. Iowa had seven guys get drafted by the NFL in the offseason, so they’ve got some big shoes to fill moving forward. The Hawkeyes have had to do some revamping on both the offensive and defensive lines thanks to key losses via transfers and the draft.
I’ll still go with Iowa in this one. The Hawkeyes will look a bit different on the field this year, but thanks to veteran coaching and some solid incoming transfers the transition period shouldn’t be too bad. Iowa has a deep backfield and a good group of tight ends including DJ Vonnahme, and there are at least a couple of good options at QB if needed. The bad news for the Hawkeyes lies on the schedule, as tough games versus Michigan, Ohio State and Washington loom this month. Still, many pundits have Iowa finishing around the eight-win mark, which would be great in a difficult Big Ten. This is an easy matchup to start with.
As for NIU, this is a transitional year in pretty much all respects. The Huskies have some nice skill players at their disposal however, so we could very well see a step forward for the team. The secondary boasts a few talented and experienced transfers as well. Northern Illinois likely won’t get close in this one, but it may not be too tough to find a few bright spots.