Justin Jackson ran his way into the Northwestern record books in just three seasons and could finish his career as the school's all-time leading rusher.
Still, he is content right now to share the running back position with emerging newcomer John Moten.
Jackson rushed for 173 yards and three touchdowns, Moten added 128 yards and two touchdowns and Northwestern became bowl eligible with a 42-21 victory over Illinois on Saturday.
Clayton Thorson completed 13 of 20 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown as the Wildcats improved to 6-6 and 5-4 in the Big Ten.
Wes Lunt completed 28 of 54 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns (with one interception) for Illinois (3-9, 2-7), which closed out its first season under coach Lovie Smith with three straight losses.
>>Michigan Drops Only Two Spots in Coaches Poll
Michigan is still a top-six team in college football, according to the Coaches Poll.
The Wolverines dropped just two spots, from No. 4 to No. 6, following a contested 30-27 double-overtime loss to Ohio State, which remains at No. 2 in the college football rankings.
The Wolverines are 10-2 on the year, did not win the Big Ten East and are essentially out of the College Football Playoff conversation -- unless the CFP Selection Committee opts to get strange.
Speaking of the Big Ten East, champion Penn State is No. 8 in the latest poll while Big Ten West champ Wisconsin, which lost to Michigan earlier in the year, sits at No. 5. That puts four Big Ten teams in the top eight.
Alabama is still the unanimous No. 1 and Clemson and Washington, which will play for the ACC and Pac-12 titles, respectively, next week, round out the top four.
The results of Week 13 have shuffled the top of the AP Top 25. While Alabama and Ohio State held at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, there's a new No. 3 and No. 4 with Clemson and Washington moving into those slots.
Depending on the outcomes of conference championship week, there's a real possibility that's what the playoff field will look like.
Clemson moves up after beating in-state rival South Carolina 56-7, while Washington rises after beating Washington State 45-17 in the Apple Cup.
Another reason those two teams moved up? Michigan fell two spots, just like in the Coaches Poll, after losing in double overtime to Ohio State.
However, unlike the Coaches Poll, the Wolverines remain ranked ahead of Wisconsin.
New teams cracking the latest top 25 are Stanford, Virginia Tech, Navy, Iowa, South Florida and Pitt.
