Here's the four part series from ESPN.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id...mes-part-i
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id...es-part-ii
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id...s-part-iii
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id...es-part-iv

NIU/NU comes in at #21 out of 56 games.

Here's what they have to say...
No. 21: Northwestern vs. Northern Illinois, Sept. 6: Would have been nice to see these two butt heads when both were riding high, like in 2012. Still, it's a fun little matchup between two schools that are practically neighbors.

Other MAC match-ups...
No. 50: Purdue vs. Western Michigan, Aug. 30: Yes, a matchup involving an FBS opponent beats out several FCS games. WMU went 1-11 last year, FYI."

No. 48: Penn State vs. UMass, Sept. 20: The Minutemen are an FBS team. Not that you could really tell.

No. 47: Michigan State vs. Eastern Michigan, Sept. 20: EMU is an FBS team. Not that you could really tell.

No. 42: Michigan vs. Miami (Ohio), Sept. 13: The RedHawks went 0-12 last year. 'Nuff said.

No. 40: Purdue vs. Central Michigan, Sept. 6: It's no sure thing for the Boilermakers, but they need to win this one at home to keep fans interested.

No. 34: Ohio State vs. Kent State, Sept. 13: Luckily, the Buckeyes' nonconference schedule has no true dog games on it this year. Though this one flirts with that status.

No. 32: Penn State vs. Akron, Sept. 6: The Zips are getting better, and Penn State will be returning home from its opener in Ireland. Potential trap game for the Lions.

No. 31: Iowa vs. Ball State, Sept. 6: The Cardinals won 10 games a year ago, and Iowa knows full well the dangers a good MAC team can present. Just sayin'.

No. 26: Indiana at Bowling Green, Sept. 13: The Hoosiers' easy dispatching of Bowling Green, which went 10-4 and won the MAC East last year, was one of their best wins of the 2013 season. The Falcons look for revenge at home.

No. 25: Wisconsin vs. Bowling Green, Sept. 20: Two straight weeks of Big Ten teams for Bowling Green. We should know in advance whether the Falcons are feisty enough to mount a challenge in Camp Randall.