Mountain West Matchups

Northern Illinois vs Kent State

Northern Illinois Huskies vs Kent State Golden Flashes

Who wins Northern Illinois vs Kent State?

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Head-to-head on record

Northern Illinois vs Kent State series
TeamWinsSeries
Northern Illinois Huskies23Northern Illinois leads
Kent State Golden Flashes7

Meetings since 1966: 30. Source: CollegeFootballData game log.

The series in numbers

23-7 Regular season
8-2 Last 10
28-20 Avg score
10 Longest Northern Illinois win run

Biggest Northern Illinois win 50-7 in 1999, a 43-point margin.

Biggest Northern Illinois loss 0-42 in 1976, a 42-point margin.

Every Northern Illinois vs Kent State meeting

Northern Illinois Huskies vs Kent State Golden Flashes, every meeting on record
SeasonResultSiteScore
2025 Kent State win DeKalb 31-35
2023 Northern Illinois win Kent 37-27
2021 Northern Illinois win Neutral 41-23
2021 Kent State win Kent 47-52
2017 Northern Illinois win DeKalb 24-3
2016 Northern Illinois win Kent 31-21
2014 Northern Illinois win DeKalb 17-14
2013 Northern Illinois win Kent 38-24
2012 Northern Illinois win Neutral 44-37
2011 Northern Illinois win DeKalb 40-10
2008 Northern Illinois win Kent 42-14
2007 Northern Illinois win DeKalb 27-20
2005 Northern Illinois win Kent 34-3
2002 Northern Illinois win DeKalb 13-6
2001 Kent State win Kent 34-44
1999 Northern Illinois win DeKalb 50-7
1984 Northern Illinois win DeKalb 24-10
1983 Northern Illinois win Kent 38-7
1982 Northern Illinois win DeKalb 23-15
1981 Kent State win Kent 10-31
1980 Northern Illinois win Kent 35-14
1979 Northern Illinois win DeKalb 25-0
1978 Northern Illinois win DeKalb 27-21
1977 Northern Illinois win Kent 21-18
1976 Kent State win Kent 0-42
1975 Northern Illinois win DeKalb 38-15
1972 Northern Illinois win DeKalb 28-7
1971 Northern Illinois win Kent 26-7
1967 Kent State win Kent 0-35
1966 Kent State win DeKalb 7-26

Scores from the Northern Illinois perspective. Source: CollegeFootballData game log, since 1966.

Matchup stats

Last five games

Kent State

DateOppResult
10-03 vsOHIO L 10-13
09-26 vsBALL W 26-13
09-19 atOSU L 3-59
09-12 vsWOF W 36-15
09-05 atSOUTHC L 0-57

Northern Illinois

DateOppResult
09-26 atGAST L 14-35
09-19 atARIZ L 17-42
09-12 vsILST L 24-28
09-05 atIOWA L 0-40
11-28 vsKENT L 31-35

Completed results from CollegeFootballData via the CFB Data Hub

2026 standings

Mid-American

TeamWLTPCTPFPA
Toledo 410 .800212128
Massachusetts 410 .80015989
Western Michigan 320 .60011697
Ohio 320 .600134134
Central Michigan 320 .60088127
Eastern Michigan 330 .500133150
Miami (OH) 230 .400134146
Buffalo 230 .400102153
Kent State 230 .40075157
Sacramento State 140 .20088143
Akron 140 .20095168
Ball State 140 .20096189
Bowling Green 140 .20057165

Mountain West

TeamWLTPCTPFPA
North Dakota State 500 1.00016849
New Mexico 410 .80021753
Air Force 310 .75011680
UNLV 320 .600125118
San José State 320 .600113125
Wyoming 230 .40071110
Nevada 130 .25010997
Hawai'i 140 .20088124
UTEP 140 .20082207
Northern Illinois 040 .00055145

Records computed from completed games this season

Northern Illinois Huskies lead the series since 1966, 23-7. Here is the series on record and how to watch when Northern Illinois and Kent State meet.

How to watch Northern Illinois vs Kent State

When Northern Illinois and Kent State are scheduled, here is how to find the game.

  1. National TV National windows are set by Set weekly by the conference TV partners (ESPN, ABC, FOX, FS1).
  2. Streaming ESPN+ and the FOX Sports app stream the national windows.
  3. Radio Listen on the Northern Illinois radio network.
  4. Confirm kickoff Kickoff and the exact channel are set by the networks before game week. Check the match center for the Northern Illinois vs Kent State time and line.

The live time, line and how-to-watch details land on the match center and how to watch pages once the game is scheduled.

The Northern Illinois this season

Follow Northern Illinois in the title race on the Mountain West standings, and model the finish with the title race calculator. For the conference series that define the year, see the Mountain West rivalry pages, or browse every Mountain West matchup.

About the author and reviewer

Written by

The MOUNTAINWESTFOOTBALL.CO Desk

Conference Newsroom · Independent Mountain West coverage since 2026

The house desk of MOUNTAINWESTFOOTBALL.CO - independent researchers tracking every Mountain West game, stat and storyline.

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Every stat and historical claim on data pages is checked against official box scores and the live feed before publication.

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Northern Illinois vs Kent State: the essentials

Northern Illinois Huskies vs Kent State Golden Flashes is a non-conference matchup that sets the Mountain West against the Mid-American (Group of 6). Northern Illinois Huskies lead the series since 1966, 23-7. Across 30 meetings on record the series is one-sided so far, and whenever the two programs are scheduled this page carries the Northern Illinois vs Kent State head-to-head record, the matchup numbers for both sides, and how to watch on TV and streaming. It sits alongside the Northern Illinois Huskies team hub, the Mountain West this week round-up and the live conference standings. For Kent State against the whole conference, see Kent State vs the Mountain West.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the all-time record between Northern Illinois and Kent State?

Northern Illinois Huskies lead the series since 1966, 23-7. The two programs have met 30 times on record.

How can I watch Northern Illinois vs Kent State?

National windows are set by Set weekly by the conference TV partners (ESPN, ABC, FOX, FS1). Kickoff time and the exact channel are set by the networks before game week.

Are Northern Illinois and Kent State in the same conference?

No. Northern Illinois plays in the Mountain West. Kent State plays in the Mid-American (Group of 6). This is a non-conference game.