With the Hat on the line, Illinois (7-4, 4-4) will cap off its regular season with a battle with Northwestern (1-10, 1-7) for the Land of Lincoln Trophy on Saturday afternoon in Evanston.

The Fighting Illini have been in possession of the trophy for the last year after beating the Wildcats, 47-14, in the rivalry game to end the 2021 season.

While Illinois narrowly leads the all-time series, the Illini are looking for their first win at Ryan Field since 2014 and aiming to keep the Hat in Champaign for two consecutive seasons since the 2010-11 campaigns.

"We only play actively for two every year," said head coach Bret Bielema. "The thing that made a statement to our guys is that the Hat sat in our locker room all year. We've made a big deal of it. They see it, they feel it, and obviously our goal on Saturday is to keep it."

There is a lot on the line this weekend, so let's run through some talking points ahead of the Big Ten finale.

Offense: Score early, and then capitalize on the momentum
The Illini have scored in the first quarter in all but one of their games this season, with the Michigan matchup last week marking the first time all season that they failed to score in the opening frame.

In last season's rivalry game, Illinois scored 14 points in the first quarter, but it was not until the team's third drive of the game that it found the end zone. With the Illini looking to get some momentum heading into the postseason, capitalizing on first-quarter scores and keeping the foot on the gas should help set the tone in Evanston on Saturday.

Defense: Adapt to whatever quarterback starts under center
Illinois is no stranger to uncertainty in opponents' quarterback room, and Saturday's contest will be no different. Four different Wildcats have taken snaps at the position thus far this season, with Ryan Hilinski the main starter. Brendan Sullivan, Cole Freeman, and Carl Richardson have also gotten time this season, and Northwestern is not afraid of making personnel changes if things are not working.

The Wildcats have attempted the third-most passes in the Big Ten, while their 59.1% completion percentage ranks 10th and their 214.3 passing yards per game ranks ninth in the conference.

Northwestern's offense features a balance between the run and pass attacks, but with uncertainty at the quarterback position in the Wildcats' last game of the 2022 season, they may lean into the ground game.

"Northwestern is a 1-10 football team that has played really good," Bielema said. "I think if you ask Ohio State and Purdue, two of their last three opponents, how good they are, I think they'd have an answer for you. They come to play every day, they're extremely tough, they're physical, they're well-coached."

Know the foe: Northwestern running back Evan Hull
While there might be uncertainty at quarterback, Hull has proved to be one of the most consistent producers for the Wildcats. Hull gets it done as a rusher and receiver, and he ranks among the conference's elite in both statistical categories. 

Hull ranks eighth in rushing yards (860) and 14th in receiving yards (513), and he has tallied seven touchdowns this season.

Bielema is impressed with the Northwestern back, and the Wildcats will surely get him involved often on Saturday.

"I love their running back," Bielema said. "Obviously there's some really good running backs in this league, and he continues to do good things in every game. They play the game the right way. They play really hard. They're a team that definitely shows up to play."