It was a beautiful day for ice fishing Saturday at Wrigley Field.
Definitely not for baseball. Not for football, either, with temperatures in the teens as a regular-season finale between rivals Illinois and Northwestern got going. The Illini — ranked 22nd in the AP and 23rd by the College Football Playoff committee coming in — won XX-XX.
Now with nine regular-season wins for only the eighth time in school history and the first time since 2007, Illinois (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten) will wait for its bowl assignment, which almost certainly will be the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on New Year’s Eve. There, the Illini would face a big-name opponent — potentiallyt Alabama — from the SEC.
Northwestern finished 4-8 (2-7) in coach David Braun’s second season. Braun’s record has gone from a surprisingly good 8-5 after Year 1 to 12-13.
Illini running back Aidan Laughery had a career day, carrying 12 times for 172 yards and three touchdowns. Pat Bryant notched his 10th receiving touchdown of the season, a 43-yarder. Quarterback Luke Altmyer threw a pair of interceptions — only his fourth and fifth of the season — but the Illini defense picked off three Northwestern passes and came up with four turnovers in all.
A bowl win would mean Illinois’ fifth-ever 10-win season, matching the school record. The last of those was in 2001.