NCAA FCS Big South

Western Illinois football predictions & picks

Big South

2026 record: 6-4
Big South: 1st
PPG: 36.2
Streak: W3
Last 5: Won 28–21 vs Tennessee State · Sat, Oct 3 Lost 30–40 at Southeast Missouri State · Sat, Oct 17 Won 55–24 vs UT Martin · Sat, Oct 24 Won 42–35 at Charleston Southern · Sat, Oct 31 Won 44–23 at Eastern Illinois · Sat, Nov 7

Western Illinois next game

Wk 11

W Illinois vs2:00 PM ET Saturday, November 14 Gardner-Webb

Picks

The model publishes its moneyline, spread and over/under picks in the days before kickoff. They will be here, and on the game’s own page.

Western Illinois 2026 schedule & results

Every pick graded once the game ends

WeekOpponentResult Our best pickGame page

Wk 1Thu, Aug 27Aug 27 vsNorthwestern (IA) N'Western (IA) W65–14 —

Wk 1Sat, Sep 5Sep 5 vs Illinois State Illinois St L10–41 —

Wk 2Sat, Sep 12Sep 12 @Wisconsin Wisconsin L9–36 —

Wk 3Sat, Sep 19Sep 19 vs Morehead State Morehead St W59–2 —

Wk 4Sat, Sep 26Sep 26 @North Alabama North Alabama L20–23 —

Wk 5Sat, Oct 3Oct 3 vs Tennessee State Tennessee St W28–21 —

Wk 7Sat, Oct 17Oct 17 @Southeast Missouri State SE Missouri L30–40 —

Wk 8Sat, Oct 24Oct 24 vs UT Martin UT Martin W55–24 —

Wk 9Sat, Oct 31Oct 31 @Charleston Southern Charleston So W42–35 —

Wk 10Sat, Nov 7Nov 7 @Eastern Illinois E Illinois W44–23 —

Wk 11Sat, Nov 14Nov 14 vs Gardner-Webb Gardner-Webb 2:00 PM ET Pick coming soon

Wk 12Sat, Nov 21Nov 21 @Lindenwood Lindenwood 2:00 PM ET Pick coming soon

Western Illinois team stats

2026 regular season · 10 games · rank among 127 FCS teams

Offense

Points 36.2/ game 11th

Total yards 465.6/ game 9th

Passing yards 238.2/ game 33rd

Rushing yards 227.4/ game 5th

Third-down conversions 35.9% 85th

Giveaways 1.3/ game 50th

Time of possession 32:49 7th

Defense

Points allowed 25.9/ game 59th

Yards allowed 297.1/ game 10th

Passing yards allowed 184.2/ game 25th

Rushing yards allowed 112.9/ game 14th

Takeaways 1.8/ game 17th

Penalties 6.9/ game 90th

Western Illinois leaders

2026 regular season

Passing Kennedy McGill 2,025yds 12 TD · 7 INT · 63.7% comp. · 10 games

Rushing Kennedy McGill 1,291yds 17 TD · 6.0 per carry · 10 games

Receiving Israel Hiraldo 380yds 20 catches · 4 TD · 8 games

Tackles Nick Reinicke 78 10 games

Sacks Nick Reinicke 3.5 10 games

Interceptions Jacob Kruger 3 2 passes defended · 9 games

Big South standings

All college standings

#Team WLT W-L PCTPFPA DIFFSTRKSTK

1 Western Illinois W Illinois 640 6-4 .600 362259 +103 W3

2 Southeast Missouri State SE Missouri 640 6-4 .600 238237 +1 W1

3 Lindenwood Lindenwood 540 5-4 .556 221211 +10 W4

4 Charleston Southern Charleston So 460 4-6 .400 232228 +4 L2

5 UT Martin UT Martin 460 4-6 .400 225319 −94 W1

6 Gardner-Webb Gardner-Webb 370 3-7 .300 212224 −12 L1

7 Eastern Illinois E Illinois 370 3-7 .300 202313 −111 L1

8 Tennessee State Tennessee St 280 2-8 .200 154311 −157 L3

Western Illinois FAQ

Who does Western Illinois play next?

Next up for Western Illinois: home against Gardner-Webb, Saturday, November 14, 2:00 PM ET. Our picks for it go up in the days before kickoff.

What is Western Illinois’s record this season?

Western Illinois is 6-4, 1st in the Big South.

Who leads Western Illinois in passing yards?

Kennedy McGill, with 2,025 passing yards in the 2026 regular season (12 TD · 7 INT · 63.7% comp. · 10 games).

Big South rivals

All teams

Charleston Southern Eastern Illinois Gardner-Webb Lindenwood Southeast Missouri State Tennessee State UT Martin

Western Illinois this week

Western Illinois is 6-4, 4-1 in Big South play. Its last game was a 44–23 win over Eastern Illinois on November 7, its third in a row. Its offense averages 36.2 points a game (tied for 11th in FCS), and its defense allows 25.9 (59th).

Next up, Western Illinois hosts Gardner-Webb on Saturday, November 14 at 2:00 PM ET. The rest of the week’s games are on the college football picks board.