← Matchups

Northern Illinois

MAC · 0-2 · power -0.1 · #185
Our numberNIU -3.0 no book has priced this game

Wyoming

MWC · 1-1 (0-1 MWC) · power -3.7 · #225
Our side
MoneylineNIU to win ours 46%
Projected score 24–21 NIU – WYO
2026-10-17 · 3:30 PM War Memorial Stadium · Laramie, WY Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

Series Wyoming lead 2–0 · 2 meetings since 2016
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game even 37 ranks apart
Northern Illinois Huskies #133 rush offense Wyoming Cowboys #96 run defense
Pass game edge Wyoming Cowboys 206 ranks
Northern Illinois Huskies #232 pass offense Wyoming Cowboys #26 pass defense
Run game edge Northern Illinois Huskies 55 ranks
Wyoming Cowboys #222 rush offense Northern Illinois Huskies #167 run defense
Pass game edge Northern Illinois Huskies 175 ranks
Wyoming Cowboys #222 pass offense Northern Illinois Huskies #47 pass defense
Northern Illinois Huskies Run-heavy · 71% run Ball-control Wyoming Cowboys Balanced · 52% run Avg pace
Thomas Hammock · 35-47 Jay Sawvel · 7-17 · defense-minded

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
Northern Illinois Huskies
LB Jashawn Nelson 19 tkl · 0.5 sacks · 1.5 TFL #47 LB
DB Avery Jones 11 tkl #136 DB
LB Jack Murray 18 tkl · 0.5 TFL #108 LB
DB Andruw Ellis 1 tkl · 1 INT #204 DB
Wyoming Cowboys
DL Esaia Bogar 12 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 2.5 TFL #25 DL
LB Ethan Stuhlsatz 26 tkl · 0.5 sacks · 1.0 TFL #18 LB
DB Jones Thomas 13 tkl · 1 PD · 2 INT #94 DB
DL Jack Dunkley 7 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 2.5 TFL #328 DL

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
Northern Illinois HuskiesMAC -0.1 -4.2 +4.1 #185
Wyoming CowboysMWC -3.7 -9.4 +5.7 #225

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
Northern Illinois offense vs Wyoming defense-9.9 pts
Wyoming offense vs Northern Illinois defense-13.5 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 867 mi
Altitude · context only1,932 m higher than the visitor's home elevation

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.