The battle for the Hat has finally arrived.

The Wildcats have been blown out in the past two matchups, 47-14 and 41-3, respectively. But they now stand at 6-5, winners of three of their last four, and with the chance to keep a 5-6 Illinois team out of the postseason.

This is head coach David Braun's first battle for the Land of Lincoln Trophy, which has lived in Champaign ever since Bret Bielema took over the Illini program for the 2021 season.

Braun said this week that the opportunity to knock the Illini out of a bowl game isn't much on his mind, but winning back the Hat and giving it a "comfortable" spot in the Walter Athletics Center, as well as earning bragging rights for Illinois recruiting, absolutely is.

Here are our predictions:

*****

MORE CATS COVERAGE: Behind Enemy Lines: Illinois | Brotherhood between Hollis and Johnson creates NU's lockdown pass defense l The Top 10 games in Ryan Field history | Presser notes: Braun to give up play calling, assess staff after season | The 3-2-1 heading into Week 13

*****

Northwestern is undefeated when they score 20 or more points this season, and I expect that trend to hold in the battle for the Hat. Both team have plenty to play for. Northwestern wants to right the wrongs of the past two seasons and Illinois wants a bowl game to right the ship on an otherwise disappointing campaign.

I think the Wildcats just put on a display of their bend don't break defense against the run versus Purdue, and will do so again here. This defense has been absolutely sensational since the bye week, and they can taste vengeance on the tips of their tongues this week. Expect Bryce Gallagher and Xander Mueller to be flying around the field, and for the defensive secondary, with the potential return of Coco Azema at safety, to clamp down on the red-hot John Paddock.

Northwestern has had one of the best passing defenses in the country this season, and it'll bear fruit one more game. The defense has proven it needs basically just one half of offense to win against Maryland, Wisconsin and Purdue. I expect Northwestern to get out to an early lead behind the play of Ben Bryant and cling to it for dear life in the home stretch.

Fearless forecast: Northwestern 20, Illinois 14

I expect another typical, low-scoring Big Ten West matchup, with points at a premium. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will most likely win. That typically bodes well for the Wildcats because they don't make many mistakes: they have seven turnovers all season and just one over their last four games.

Still, this game troubles me. Illinois needs to win it for bowl eligibility and should be highly motivated. The Wildcats have won just one of five games away from Ryan Field all season. And NU’s defense showed some chinks in the armor last week against Purdue, which, though they scored just 15 points, ran for 303 yards.

I think Northwestern's offensive line is going to have problems protecting Ben Bryant against an Illinois front spearheaded by Jer'Zhan Newton. And the Illini, believe it or not, rank third in the Big Ten in total offense, behind only Michigan and Ohio State.

This one could go either way, but, as much as I hate to say it, I’ve got a hunch that the Hat won't be making a trip up north to Evanston.

Fearless forecast: Illinois 20, Northwestern 17