College football · Northern Illinois Huskies · Playoff picture
Northern Illinois · Playoff picture
Will Northern Illinois make the College Football Playoff?
Not if the season ended today: Northern Illinois is unranked and does not lead the Mountain West.
New Mexico leads the Mountain West at 3-0; Northern Illinois is 0-3. Five games are left, none against ranked teams. This is the standings as they stand, not a forecast.
Northern Illinois · playoff chances, the forecast
Make the 12-team playoff
<1%
First-round bye
<1%
Win its conference
<1%
Win the national title
<1%
Average regular-season record
1.2-10.8
From 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season, updated Updated Sun, Oct 25, 2026, 2:25 PM ET. The table above is the field if the season ended today; this is where it is likely to end. Every team's playoff odds.
The field today, seeds 7 to 12
Record
How in
First round
Byes: Miami, Ohio State, Georgia, Indiana. First out: Ole Miss, No. 12.
The full playoff pictureMountain West
New Mexico 3-0 · Northern Illinois 0-3
The best-ranked Group of Six champion takes one bid.
The Mountain West tableQuestions
Would Northern Illinois make the College Football Playoff if the season ended today?
No. Northern Illinois is unranked and does not lead the Mountain West.
Which ranked teams are left on the Northern Illinois schedule?
None, as the poll stands today.