Big 12 Matchups

Kansas vs Northern Illinois

Kansas Jayhawks vs Northern Illinois Huskies

Who wins Kansas vs Northern Illinois?

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Head-to-head on record

Kansas vs Northern Illinois series
TeamWinsSeries
Kansas Jayhawks1Northern Illinois leads
Northern Illinois Huskies2

Meetings since 1983: 3. Source: CollegeFootballData game log.

The series in numbers

1-2 Regular season
1-2 Last 3
34-36 Avg score
1 Longest Kansas win run

Biggest Kansas win 45-42 in 2011, a 3-point margin.

Biggest Kansas loss 23-30 in 2012, a 7-point margin.

Every Kansas vs Northern Illinois meeting

Kansas Jayhawks vs Northern Illinois Huskies, every meeting on record
SeasonResultSiteScore
2012 Northern Illinois win DeKalb 23-30
2011 Kansas win Lawrence 45-42
1983 Northern Illinois win Lawrence 34-37

Scores from the Kansas perspective. Source: CollegeFootballData game log, since 1983.

Matchup stats

Last five games

Northern Illinois

DateOppResult
09-26 atGAST L 14-35
09-19 atARIZ L 17-42
09-12 vsILST L 24-28
09-05 atIOWA L 0-40
11-28 vsKENT L 31-35

Kansas

DateOppResult
10-03 vsMTSU W 55-0
09-19 vsASU L 17-24
09-11 vsMIZ L 21-38
09-04 vsLONGIS W 51-6
11-28 vsUTAH L 21-31

Completed results from CollegeFootballData via the CFB Data Hub

2026 standings

Mountain West

TeamWLTPCTPFPA
North Dakota State 500 1.00016849
New Mexico 410 .80021753
Air Force 310 .75011680
UNLV 320 .600125118
San José State 320 .600113125
Wyoming 230 .40071110
Nevada 130 .25010997
Hawai'i 140 .20088124
UTEP 140 .20082207
Northern Illinois 040 .00055145

Big 12

TeamWLTPCTPFPA
Utah 400 1.00017341
Texas Tech 500 1.00017481
BYU 400 1.00014957
Houston 410 .80020599
Baylor 410 .80017471
Arizona 410 .80016283
Cincinnati 410 .800169116
Kansas State 310 .75016261
Oklahoma State 310 .75014979
UCF 320 .60016288
Iowa State 320 .600168106
West Virginia 320 .600187144
Kansas 220 .50014468
Arizona State 220 .500133127
TCU 230 .40012767
Colorado 230 .40093127

Records computed from completed games this season

Northern Illinois Huskies lead the series since 1983, 2-1. Here is the series on record and how to watch when Kansas and Northern Illinois meet.

How to watch Kansas vs Northern Illinois

When Kansas and Northern Illinois are scheduled, here is how to find the game.

  1. National TV National windows are set by Set weekly by the conference TV partners (ESPN, ABC, FOX, FS1).
  2. Streaming ESPN+ and the FOX Sports app stream the national windows.
  3. Radio Listen on the Kansas radio network.
  4. Confirm kickoff Kickoff and the exact channel are set by the networks before game week. Check the match center for the Kansas vs Northern Illinois time and line.

The live time, line and how-to-watch details land on the match center and how to watch pages once the game is scheduled.

The Kansas this season

Follow Kansas in the title race on the Big 12 standings, and model the finish with the title race calculator. For the conference series that define the year, see the Big 12 rivalry pages, or browse every Big 12 matchup.

About the author and reviewer

Written by

The BIG12.CO Desk

Conference Newsroom · Independent Big 12 coverage since 2026

The house desk of BIG12.CO - independent researchers tracking every Big 12 game, stat and storyline.

Fact-checked by

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Fact & Data Review · Primary-source verification

Every stat and historical claim on data pages is checked against official box scores and the live feed before publication.

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Kansas vs Northern Illinois: the essentials

Kansas Jayhawks vs Northern Illinois Huskies is a non-conference matchup that sets the Big 12 against the Mountain West (Group of 6). Northern Illinois Huskies lead the series since 1983, 2-1. Across 3 meetings on record the series is one-sided so far, and whenever the two programs are scheduled this page carries the Kansas vs Northern Illinois head-to-head record, the matchup numbers for both sides, and how to watch on TV and streaming. It sits alongside the Kansas Jayhawks team hub, the Big 12 this week round-up and the live conference standings. For Northern Illinois against the whole conference, see Northern Illinois vs the Big 12.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the all-time record between Kansas and Northern Illinois?

Northern Illinois Huskies lead the series since 1983, 2-1. The two programs have met 3 times on record.

How can I watch Kansas vs Northern Illinois?

National windows are set by Set weekly by the conference TV partners (ESPN, ABC, FOX, FS1). Kickoff time and the exact channel are set by the networks before game week.

Are Kansas and Northern Illinois in the same conference?

No. Kansas plays in the Big 12. Northern Illinois plays in the Mountain West (Group of 6). This is a non-conference game.