linois has already clinched eligibility for a bowl and a win over Northwestern on Saturday could help land a more prestigious postseason destination.

Trouble is, the Illini aren’t sure if Brandon Peters will start at quarterback.

Peters left last week’s loss at Iowa in the fourth quarter after taking a hit in the face and looked woozy leaving the field. Peters is ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 17 touchdown passes and has a touchdown pass in all but one game he’s finished (the 24-6 win at Purdue) this season.

Northwestern (2-9, 0-8 Big Ten) clinched its worst record in coach Pat Fitzgerald’s 14 seasons with a 38-22 loss to Minnesota. The best the Wildcats can hope for is to finish 3-9 for the first time since 2002 under the late Randy Walker.

Northwestern is in danger of going winless in conference play since the 1998 team dropped all eight conference games in Gary Barnett’s final season. The Wildcats haven’t finished with fewer than three victories overall since 1993, when they went 2-9.