The 2025 regular-season finale for Kent State Golden Flashes and Northern Illinois Huskies will take place this Friday at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb. While neither team has bowl aspirations, there’s plenty on the line in terms of pride and legacy. Northern Illinois will play its final game as a member of the Mid-American Conference before its move to the Mountain West and will try to go out on a high note. Here, I break down whether or not they can do that, as I make my Kent State vs Northern Illinois prediction.
Our Kent State vs Northern Illinois Pick
- Pick: Northern Illinois -5.5
- Confidence: ★★★★☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Kent State Golden Flashes @ Northern Illinois Huskies
- Date & Time: Friday, November 28, 2025, 12:00 PM ET
- Venue: Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
- Broadcast: CBS Sports Network
Key Storylines
- For Northern Illinois, this is the final game as a MAC member before the program transitions to the Mountain West Conference. Expect extra motivation from NIU’s leaders to go out on a high note for the team’s final game in a conference they have been a contender in for so many years.
- Kent State enters at 4–7 overall and 3–4 in the MAC. The Golden Flashes have improved from a winless 2024 season. Their offense has at least been respectable at times this season and they will try to finish this season as a .500 team during this year’s MACtion, even if they face an uphill climb in this contest.
- Both teams rank among the lowest in the FBS for scoring offenses. That suggests this could be a low-scoring affair where defense and ball-control are the keys to victory.
Quarterback Play
Dru DeShields has been the key weapon for Kent State at quarterback. He has thrown for 1,823 yards and 16 touchdowns against just 2 interceptions on the season. On paper, Kent State’s passing offense ranks better than NIU’s and DeShields has been a big reason for that.
The quarterback situation has been a struggle all year for Northern Illinois. NIU’s aerial attack is near the bottom nationally. They average roughly 105 passing yards per game and have the fewest receptions and receiving yards in the FBS among qualifying teams. That lack of consistency through the air forces Northern Illinois to rely heavily on the run and on their defense.
Betting Trends & H2H
- NIU has won two of the last three matchups vs Kent State. Despite that, Kent State has covered in two of those games.
- Kent State is 5–6 against the spread this season, while NIU is 3–8 against the spread.
- Both of these teams have stayed under the total in 6 of their first 11 games going into their season finales this week.
Kent State vs Northern Illinois Model Projection
Score Projection: Kent State 20 – Northern Illinois 27
Win Probability: Northern Illinois 62%, Kent State 38%
Final Thoughts
Kent State has been much better this season than they were expected to be. But I think that this game will go Northern Illinois’ way. I’ll lay the points with the Huskies, as their defense should help them to get a win in their final game as a member of the MAC in football.
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