Weekly staff picks: vs. Northwestern, Nov. 24, 2018

Illinois fans cheer from the stands during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa at Memorial Stadium Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign.The News-Gazette sports staff will take a crack at predicting the winner of the Illinois game each week. Don't agree with them? Let them know by email at sports@news-gazette.com

Bob Asmussen | Football beat writer

Go to the start of the season. Would you have ever guessed the teams would be in their current state? Illinois was 2-0 and had South Florida on the ropes in the third game. Northwestern started 1-2, losing to, gulp, Duke, and, double gulp, Akron. The winner of today's game gets a cool…