Northern Illinois Huskies vs Wyoming Cowboys Final — October 17, 2026
NIUOffense2026 regular season to dateWYO
NIUDefenseWYONIURecent formWYONIUHome and roadseason to dateWYONIULast 10 gamesWYORest & travelrest and travel
NIURest & travelWYOAbout these numbers
2026 regular season to date, captured before kickoff. League rank in small type (138 teams); the gold side ranks higher. Bars show rank, longest = 1st. Source: Gridiron & Wine public Analytics tables.
Last five results this season, oldest to newest. Records are season to date, with home and road splits. Against-the-spread (ATS) and over–under records use the consensus closing line.
Margin of each of the last 6 games this season, oldest to newest (gold = won). Hover a bar for the score margin.
Distance is straight-line from each team's home arena; time-zone change is at game time. Rest counts days since each team's previous game.
The pre-game matchup
Northern Illinois (0-4) visited Wyoming (2-3) on Saturday, October 17 at 3:30 PM ET.
Northern Illinois has the 92nd-ranked offense by EPA per play (expected points added per snap) and the 132nd-ranked defense (ranks among the 138 teams with play-by-play data). Meanwhile, Wyoming has the 58th-ranked offense and the 97th-ranked defense. When Northern Illinois has the ball, a 92nd-ranked offense (+0.005 EPA per play) meets a 97th-ranked defense (+0.138 allowed); when Wyoming has it, a 58th-ranked offense (+0.081) meets a 132nd-ranked defense (+0.286 allowed).
By success rate (the share of plays that gain expected points), the Northern Illinois offense is at 47.4% (61st) and the Wyoming offense at 47.4% (62nd). Northern Illinois scores 9.5 points per game (135th) and allows 36.2 (124th); Wyoming scores 13.2 (130th) and allows 22.0 (44th).
Northern Illinois is 0-5 and 1-4 against the spread; its last game was a 28-7 loss to Air Force. Wyoming is 3-3 and 2-4 against the spread; its last game was a 16-13 win over San José State.
Wyoming closed as a 7.5-point favorite at home against Northern Illinois. The spread closed where it opened. The total closed at 42.5, up from 38.5 at the open. After removing the vig, the closing moneyline (Northern Illinois +240, Wyoming -312) prices Northern Illinois at 28% and Wyoming at 72%.
Written from the numbers available before kickoff.
Result
Final score and result vs the closing line
Northern Illinois Huskies 23, Wyoming Cowboys 41
Wyoming Cowboys won by 18.
- Against the closing spread (Wyoming Cowboys -7.5): Wyoming Cowboys covered.
- Combined score 64 vs the closing total of 42.5: Over.
- Wyoming Cowboys closed at -312 on the moneyline (a 72% no-vig market-implied chance).
Before the game: market and G&W
The market barely moved from open to close.
Market numbers are the consensus moneyline with the bookmaker margin removed.
Win probability
Each team's chance of winning through the game, starting from the market's closing price (Northern Illinois Huskies 28%, Wyoming Cowboys 72%) and moving with every snap until the final.
Biggest swings
- Q1 5:39 — Wyoming Cowboys ball, 1st & 10 at WYO 47Shotgun #6 T.Hughes rush middle for 53 yards gain to the NIU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 05:39, 1ST DOWN #47 E.Sandvik kick attempt good (H: #43 G.Helm, LS: #49 N.Curry)Wyoming Cowboys 80% → 86% (+6 pts) · Drive 3 in Drive X-Ray
Game DNA
| Northern Illinois | Points added | Wyoming |
|---|---|---|
| -6.0 | Passingdropbacks | +3.2 |
| +7.2 | Rushingdesigned runs | -0.8 |
| +11.3 | Explosive plays4 plays · 6 plays | +19.0 |
| +0.0 | Turnovers0 giveaways · 0 giveaways | +0.0 |
| +10.0 | Special teamskicks, punts and returns | -0.3 |
| -6.1 | Penaltiespre-snap and dead-ball | +1.4 |
| +2.8 | Red zoneTDs on trips: 1 of 2 · 3 of 5 | +4.8 |
| +19.3 | All plays | +27.3 |
The biggest single gap: special teams, worth about 10.3 points to Northern Illinois Huskies. The final margin was 18.
Points added: what each team's plays added to its expected points, credited to the team with the ball. Each play counts once.
The official play, graded
The official play on this game, at the price it was sent, graded against the final score.
Every official play is logged and graded, wins and losses alike. Full track record.
Line review
Wyoming Cowboys closed as the market favourite at 72% and won.
Market
Closing line and line movement
Northern Illinois +7.5 (-110)
Northern Illinois +7.5 (-112)
Wyoming -305 72%
Wyoming -312 72%
Consensus of US sportsbooks. Open = first line after both teams' previous games; Close = consensus at kickoff. Percentages are the moneyline's no-vig market-implied chances.
Members
G&W Line
G&W’s own number for this game, next to the market. Analytics
Matchup
Players to watch
- Attempts140
- Completion %69.3%28th
- Passing yards977157th
- Yards per attempt7.0156th
- TD–INT3–3
- Rushing yards300127th
- Season line65 carries, 300 yds, 3 TD
- Receiving yards33394th
- Season line38 catches, 333 yds, 2 TD
- Tackles36169th
- Attempts136
- Completion %60.3%154th
- Passing yards822196th
- Yards per attempt6.0216th
- TD–INT3–7
- Rushing yards32499th
- Season line65 carries, 324 yds, 2 TD
- Receiving yards197284th
- Season line19 catches, 197 yds, 1 TD
- Tackles4286th
Season passing totals from public box scores, captured before kickoff. Ranks among the 259 quarterbacks with at least 60 attempts. Rushing, receiving and tackle leaders: season totals captured October 14, 5:34 a.m. ET; ranks among FBS players.
Success by situation
| Situation | Northern Illinois | Wyoming |
|---|---|---|
| Early-down success rateNorthern Illinois offense vs Wyoming defense | 49.3%13th | 45.4%95th |
| Early-down success rateWyoming offense vs Northern Illinois defense | 45.1%90th | 42.3%80th |
| 3rd-down conversion rateNorthern Illinois offense vs Wyoming defense | 30.8%119th | 40.9%76th |
| 3rd-down conversion rateWyoming offense vs Northern Illinois defense | 69.0%138th | 28.6%126th |
| Explosive play rateNorthern Illinois offense vs Wyoming defense | 6.5%76th | 5.2%21st |
| Explosive play rateWyoming offense vs Northern Illinois defense | 7.7%99th | 5.0%113th |
| Pass rateshare of plays that are passes or sacks | 60.9%8th-highest | 42.0%122nd-highest |
On 3rd down Northern Illinois converts 30.8% (119th) against a Wyoming defense allowing 40.9% (76th).
On 3rd down Wyoming converts 28.6% (126th) against a Northern Illinois defense allowing 69.0% (138th).
2026 regular season before kickoff, from play-by-play with garbage time removed; ranks among the 138 teams in the play-by-play data (defense: 1st = allows the least). Success = a play that gains expected points.
Coaching staff
| Staff | Northern Illinois | Wyoming |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Rob Harley (interim) (interim) | Jay Sawvel |
| Tenureat this school | 1st season | 3rd season |
| Record at schoolthis season included, as of the date below | 0–5 | 10–20 |
| Career recordas an FBS head coach | 0–5 | 10–20 |
| Offensive coordinator | Tony Petersen | Christian Taylor |
| Defensive coordinator | D. J. Bland | Aaron Bohl |
Staff list as of October 13, 6:50 a.m. ET.
Head-to-head
The teams have met 1 time since 2021: Northern Illinois won 0 and Wyoming 1.
| Date | Score | Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2021 | Wyoming 50, Northern Illinois 43 Wyoming won |
Meetings since 2021, most recent first. Line and total are the consensus closing numbers where line history is available.
Teams
Northern Illinois Huskies
- Northern Illinois Huskies team stats
- Northern Illinois Huskies at UNLV Rebels (Oct 31)
- Hawaii Rainbow Warriors 56, Northern Illinois Huskies 21 (Oct 24)
- Air Force Falcons 28, Northern Illinois Huskies 7 (Oct 10)
Wyoming Cowboys
- Wyoming Cowboys team stats
- Air Force Falcons 14, Wyoming Cowboys 28 (Oct 23)
- Wyoming Cowboys 16, San Jose State Spartans 13 (Oct 9)
- Wyoming Cowboys 0, North Dakota State Bison 28 (Oct 3)
Gridiron & Wine graded a pick on this game: see the archived pick.
More NCAAF games on October 17, 2026
- Florida Atlantic Owls 24, Army Black Knights 56 (Oct 17)
- Pittsburgh Panthers 21, Boston College Eagles 27 (Oct 17)
- Ball State Cardinals 32, Bowling Green Falcons 31 (Oct 17)
- Charleston Southern Buccaneers 0, Clemson Tigers 37 (Oct 17)
- Ohio State Buckeyes 19, Indiana Hoosiers 15 (Oct 17)
- Georgia State Panthers 22, James Madison Dukes 49 (Oct 17)
- Kansas Jayhawks 24, Kansas State Wildcats 35 (Oct 17)
- Mississippi State Bulldogs 0, LSU Tigers 31 (Oct 17)
- Northwestern Wildcats 24, Michigan State Spartans 21 (Oct 17)
- Virginia Cavaliers 13, SMU Mustangs 23 (Oct 17)
- Florida Gators 27, Texas Longhorns 24 (Oct 17)
- Cincinnati Bearcats 42, West Virginia Mountaineers 45 (Oct 17)
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights 37, Maryland Terrapins 30 (Oct 17)
- UMass Minutemen 18, Buffalo Bulls 25 (Oct 17)
Dig deeper
Follow the market every day
See every game's current line on the odds board, or check our fully tracked results.
Odds boardTracked results