Northern Illinois: 2026 Week 7 recap

Northern Illinois sits at 0–4 after falling to Georgia State 35–14 in Week 4, and GIE's rating hasn't budged: the Huskies remain at −23.9, ranked 133rd. The offense has sputtered across the board—a red-zone TD rate of just 11% and third-down conversions at 31% tell the story of stalled drives. With an expected-win total of 2.66 for the full season and zero probability of a playoff appearance or conference title, there's little margin for error. Northern Illinois hosts Air Force this week, but the mountain is steep; GIE sees a roster that needs significant improvements in efficiency and execution to turn the season around.