Northern Illinois Huskies at San José State Spartans
Fri Nov 6 · 11:00 PM CT
By Pablo SanchezUpdated 6d ago·2 min read
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Two teams that just went 3-9 are meeting for only the second time ever, and it comes with a conference-realignment twist neither program's roster was built around.
Bush’s Picks
NIUSJSU
NIUSJSU
OverUnder
Best BetSan José State
San José State gets the nod here mostly on stability — Niumatalolo is in year 3 with the same program, while NIU is still operating under an interim tag after a February coaching change. Both teams were 3-9 a year ago, so this isn't a lock, but continuity matters when so much else is in flux on both sidelines.
Northern Illinois
+Taron Dickens set an NCAA record, 38 TDs in 2025
+Fresh transfer talent infusion for a full rebuild
−Interim coach Rob Harley running the program
−Joining new conference off a 3-9 finish
San José State
+Niumatalolo enters year 3, no coaching change
+20-plus transfer additions reload the roster
−Back-to-back 3-9 seasons, bowl streak snapped
−QB competition still open as of spring practice
Northern Illinois joined the Mountain West as a football-only member on July 1, and this trip to San José is part of the new reality. The Huskies are also breaking in a new arm behind center: Western Carolina transfer Taron Dickens, who set the NCAA record for consecutive completions (46 straight) during a 38-touchdown, 2-interception season in the Southern Conference. He briefly signed with North Carolina before being released from that commitment in May and landing at NIU in July, where he'll compete with sophomore Brady Davidson, who started as a true freshman.
San José State has its own quarterback math to sort out. Ken Niumatalolo enters year 3 with Daniel Rolovich, Hawaii transfer Luke Weaver and Robbie McDaniel all in the mix. Weaver has the most live-game pedigree, having stepped in for an injured starter at Hawaii and closed the season with a Hawaii Bowl win. Niumatalolo has said he wants a starter locked in early in fall camp rather than letting it drag, which tells you how much value he puts on stability after the last two seasons.
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NIU Northern Illinois
SJSU San José State
Both rosters look completely different than they did a year ago. San José State brought in more than 20 transfers this offseason alone, and NIU had to rebuild on the fly after Thomas Hammock left in February to become the Seahawks' running backs coach — a move that came right as the Huskies were finalizing their Mountain West schedule. Defensive coordinator Rob Harley stepped up as interim head coach, and as of now there's no indication a permanent hire has been made, which adds a layer of uncertainty to everything NIU does this fall.
Northern Illinois Huskies
Oct 31?@ UNLV—
Oct 23?vs Hawai'i—
Oct 17?@ Wyoming—
Oct 10?vs Air Force—
Sep 25?@ Georgia State—
Sep 19?@ Arizona—
Sep 12?vs Illinois State—
Sep 5?@ Iowa—
San José State Spartans
Oct 30?vs New Mexico—
Oct 24?@ Nevada—
Oct 17?@ UTEP—
Oct 9?vs Wyoming—
Oct 3?@ Hawai'i—
Sep 19?vs Fresno State—
Sep 11?vs Cal Poly—
Sep 4?@ Eastern Michigan—
Aug 29?@ USC—
Recent form.
Records aside, this is essentially a fresh matchup. The teams have played exactly once — NIU won 18-17 back in 1995 — so there's no recent history to lean on, no grudge, no pattern. What both sides do share is a 3-9 finish a season ago and a roster overhaul built around the transfer portal, which makes this one of those November games where neither fan base really knows what they're getting yet.
Northern Illinois Huskies
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
San José State Spartans
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
By the time Friday, November 6 rolls around, both quarterback competitions should be settled and both staffs will have had a full season to find their footing — or not. NIU is betting that a proven, record-setting arm in Dickens can jump-start an offense that stalled out under Hammock; San José State is betting that staff continuity and a reloaded roster finally turns two straight 3-9 seasons into something better. Whichever program answers those questions first probably wins this one.
