Northern Illinois Football

If No. 14 NIU's quarterback Jordan Lynch wasn't in the Heisman conversation, he certainly put himself right in the center of it after his 321-yard rushing performance against Western Michigan. For a running back, that total would be Heisman worthy, but for a quarterback, it's record breaking, literally.

Lynch didn't just rack up the yards, he also found the end zone three times. Here's a video of the two he scored in the first half:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAJSnG0NoRM

The NIU QB has run for 1,755 yards and 20 touchdowns this year, which is good for No. 2 in the nation. Lynch's rushing stats could deserve Heisman attention alone as SportsCenter points out:

He's also thrown for 2,457 yards and 22 touchdowns. 

Being in the MAC hurts Lynch's chances of winning the Heisman, but we're going to focus on why Lynch still deserves the Heisman over the likes of Jameis Winston, AJ McCarron, Andre Williams and even Derek Carr. First, let's look at team performance.

Lynch has lead NIU to their fourth straight MAC Championship game. Also, if they stay ahead of Fresno State in the BCS Rankings, he will have lead them to their first and second BCS Bowl appearances. 

The performance of NIU is certainly more impressive than Boston College's 7-4 record playing in the ACC. Individually, here's how Lynch and Williams compare:

	Yards	YPC	TD
Williams	2,073	6.5	16
Lynch	1,755	7.1	20

Lynch trails Williams by about 300 rushing yards on the year.

To call them equal is to say that Lynch's 2,457 passing yards and 22 touchdowns are equal to about 300 rushing yards. It's also to say that an undefeated MAC team on the verge of a BCS berth is equal to a four-loss ACC team projected to play in the Music City Bowl.

Lynch has the advantage here.

Jameis Winston and AJ McCarron both hold the advantage in team performance. And both USA Today and HeismanPundit.com have Winston and McCarron ranked ahead of Lynch. Winston's Heisman hopes hang in the balance with the ruling of a court case.

Just being accused is certainly not Heisman material, but let's assume the case has no effect on Winston's Heisman run.

With that we have three undefeated quarterbacks. Two of them have top-tier receivers, running backs and great defenses. And Lynch stacks up to McCarron just on the merit of his passing statistics as noted by ESPNU's Danny Kanell:

The Winston and Lynch comparison is a bit closer: 

	Pass Yards	Pass TDs	INT
Winston	3,163	32	7
Lynch	2,457	22	5

Factor in Lynch's 1,600 more rushing yards and 17 more rushing TDs, and it's no contest.

All three QBs are crucial to their team's success, but Lynch is the most crucial. He's the team's leading passer and rusher. Against Western Michigan, Lynch accounted for 80-percent of his teams total offense according to Bryan Vance of SBNation. 

If Albama or Florida State had to rely on their QB for 80 percent of their offense, it's not likely that they would be in the National Championship picture. 

Lynch does it all for his team and has added his name to a 20-20 club that features three previous Heisman winners as shown by ESPN:

Granted, level of competition has to be accounted for. McCarron has the best edge, playing in the SEC. Winston has a slight edge with the ACC competition. I ask, what's it worth to play in these conferences? There's not a quantitative answer, and conventional wisdom seems to side with major conferences.

Voters shouldn't penalize Lynch so harshly. 

Undefeated is as good as a team can be, and Lynch is there with McCarron and Winston. At that point, let's turn to the numbers. I believe the numbers side with Lynch.

Let's look at Lynch's combined 482 yards and six touchdowns plus 91 yards and one touchdown with no turnovers in two wins against Iowa and Purdue.  

Lynch isn't the only QB leading a small conference team into the BCS picture. There's also Fresno State's Derek Carr. Carr has thrown 3,948 yards and 39 touchdowns. He does benefit from a pass-happy uptempo offense, but those numbers deserve a mention. 

Lynch has surpassed Carr in the BCS rankings, which helps his cause since the two are comparable. As I mentioned above, team performance isn't everything.

The combination of Lynch's rushing and passing stats represent a more difficult and meaningful combination than Carr's gaudy passing numbers. 

"I think he's the best player in college football." Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck said of Lynch via Shannon Ryan Chicago Tribune. "He's the best player because he does everything. And he does everything at an elite level. He deserves to be in New York."

Lynch won't likely win the Heisman, but it won't be for lack of trying. With a MAC Championship game left, NFL Associate Editor Ian Kenyon speculates that Lynch could do something unthinkable:

Simply put, he has the best combination of individual production and team performance in the NCAA.

It's feasible that Lynch's NIU Huskies will be conference champions, ranked in the BCS Top 10 and playing in a BCS Bowl.

Lynch should get to add Heisman Finalist to that list.

Unfortunately for his supporters, a return trip to the ranks of the BCS Bowls does not guarantee the Northern Illinois Huskies quarterback a trip to New York for the Heisman ceremony. In fact, the trip to a BCS game will likely not be the determining factor in whether the senior becomes a finalist for the prestigious award.

Northern Illinois pulled ahead of the Fresno State Bulldogs in the most recent BCS Standings. This move puts the Huskies in the driver's seat when it comes to the automatic bid for non-BCS teams and will help push Lynch's campaign into the spotlight. Viewers will tune in to see if the Huskies can finish undefeated for the second regular season in a row.

And, in doing so, folks will get a chance to see Lynch in motion. The senior has put up big numbers all season. He is No. 6 overall in total offense per CFB Stats and the only player in the top five with over 1,000 rushing yards. With a BCS Bowl on the horizon, people will again get acquainted with Northern Illinois.

However, the BCS Bowl push is not what is going to get Lynch to New York City. In fact, the Jordan Lynch for Heisman Campaign's biggest win this weekend was not the BCS surge, but rather the failures of other candidates. Most notably, Bryce Petty looking subpar in Stillwater, Marcus Mariota going down to Arizona and Johnny Manziel playing terribly in Baton Rouge.

As Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston plays amid an ongoing investigation, the once-robust field has been culled as the season ends. The nation is looking for new candidates to push for the award and, as players near the top of the food chain burn campaigns to the ground, Lynch has emerged from the ashes.

Lynch is not the only "new" candidate to emerge, as Dave Miller of the Football Post points out. Boston College's Andre Williams is getting push as a quality back on a 6-4 Eagles team. He is a player that no one would have suggested in recent years, but as big names fall by the wayside, someone has to step up.

Enter Jordan Lynch.

A BCS Bowl berth is not going to get Jordan Lynch to New York City. Rather, it will be folks looking at the candidates and deciding that Lynch is as deserving as the bigger name candidates, or perhaps more so as College Football Talk's Kevin McGuire mentioned.

Lynch needs people to continue to fall by the wayside, to eliminate themselves. He needs the college football winds to keep big-name candidates, such as Ohio State's Braxton Miller and Alabama's AJ McCarron, to a minimum. With two weeks to go in the season, the trip to NYC is within Lynch's grasp.

Now, with Lynch climbing ever closer to the finalists list, the onus is on the Huskeis' senior to not follow in the footsteps of Petty, Manziel and Mariota before him.

Like his Northern Illinois team, quarterback Jordan Lynch has flown under the radar in 2013.

But on Wednesday night, he proved on national television that he deserves to be talked about in the Heisman Trophy race.

The 6'0" senior completed 26 of his 32 passes, throwing for 345 yards in a 48-27 win over Ball State. As the dual-threat weapon that he is, Lynch also added 20 carries for 123 yards. 

He totaled four touchdowns for his 15th-ranked Huskies—two on the ground, two through the air.

But what stood out most from Lynch's play was his ability to step up his game when his team needed it the most. Tied with under six minutes left, Lynch connected on a 36-yard touchdown to Da'Ron Brown. 

A few minutes later, Lynch took matters into his own hands, scampering for a 16-yard touchdown to put his Huskies up two scores with a little more than a minute left.

Sporting more than a couple of blowout wins on the season, Lynch hadn't been asked to take over like he did on Wednesday night. Especially with the nation watching in a game that could've sealed his team's BCS fate. 

When the situation called, Lynch answered and proved that, unlike many of his fellow Heisman contenders, he can step up his game in the clutch moments.

After the game, Northern Illinois head coach Rod Carey claimed that Lynch deserves to be in the conversation, according to the Associated Press via ESPN. 

"If Jordan isn't in the conversation for the Heisman I don't know what people are watching, they were asleep," Carey said. "In my estimation that trophy goes to the best player in the nation and with the performance he had tonight, he dang sure should be in that conversation."

Lynch's formidable performance through the air also proves to be admirable. For the first time all season, he surpassed 300 yards passing. 

In doing so, he didn't forget about his legs, running 100 yards on the ground for the fifth time this season. Put together, he amassed a Raw QBR of 91.3—his third best of the season (all have come in the last three games). 

Northern Illinois doesn't play the same competition as Jameis Winston and Florida State, Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M or hardly any other Heisman contender for that matter.

But Lynch has torn apart his competition at an alarming pace, and it cannot be ignored after an impressive win on Wednesday night. 

It doesn't look like it will be enough to catch Winston or the top contenders, but at the very least, Lynch should be in the conversation. 

The Northern Illinois Huskies and the Fresno State Bulldogs are not the Boise State Broncos, TCU Horned Frogs or Utah Utes of earlier in the BCS era. Neither team is of an elite pedigree, or more importantly, caliber, yet one seems poised to fill a hole in the BCS picture this season.

And in the final season of the Bowl Championship Series, it is quite apropos that these non-BCS teams are not of the Top 10 ilk yet will claim their rightful spot in the postseason.

Although the loudest quibble with the current system will come from the likes of Florida State or Ohio State being shut out of the title game, there will also be folks griping about the inclusion of the Huskies or the Bulldogs. Last season, it was Oklahoma that could not grab a BCS berth due to the Huskies' Orange Bowl bid, and this season Clemson and Oklahoma will likely suffer the same fate.

While the Tigers and Sooners faithful wring hands over missing a BCS Bowl, and the media chides the non-automatic qualifier as undeserving, others will be applauding the participation. If all things hold to form through the current BCS Standings, it will be Louisville that dropped the ball, opening the door through which NIU or Fresno State will stroll. Per the BCS Selection Procedures at BCSFootball.org:

3. The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, or the Sun Belt Conference (hereinafter "non-AQ group") will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if either:

A. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or

B. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.

Scenario B is the backdoor through which one of these two teams is going to sneak, unlike the Top 10 Boise State, TCU and Utah teams in recent memory. But, that works because the Bulldogs and the Huskies will be sticking it to the system for the teams before them that never got the opportunity.

This is not about the Broncos or the Utes, or even the more recent TCU teams. Rather, this is for the 2005 and 2000 TCU squads that both finished No. 14 ahead of automatic qualifiers No. 22 Florida State and No. 17 Purdue, respectively.

This is for the No. 12 Marshall team from 1999 that ended up in the Motor City Bowl, despite finishing ahead of Pac-12 Champion Stanford. And this is for No. 10 Tulane from 1998, the inaugural BCS season, that was sent to the Liberty Bowl although it was five spots higher than No. 15 Syracuse.

All of those teams were forced into lesser bowl games due to the lack of spots, or protection, from the BCS system. Then, with the advent of the BCS National Championship Game, spots were opened up to help accommodate the non-BCS teams. 2006 was too late for the aforementioned teams, but for Northern Illinois in 2012, and the Huskies and Bulldogs this season, the loophole gives the teams big aspirations.

The BCS Championship Game was created to generate more spots in addition to more revenue, and part of the move was a push to give the "have nots" of the college football world a place to go, should they qualify. Thanks to American Athletic Conference, a non-BCS team is going to qualify, and that means cash money into its conference coffers and a chance to run with the big boys. 

That chance is simply an opportunity to play on the major stage. It's not a title shot. It's an exhibition postseason game against one of the haves in an effort to prove they belong. Likely, Fresno State or NIU end up much like the Huskies of a season ago, battered and bruised, over-matched against an upper-echelon BCS team.

But, for those schools, a chance to dance in the spotlight is well worth it.

Next year, the landscape changes as the College Football Playoff gets kicked off. The pool for the non-automatic qualifiers shrinks, with the AAC joining the ranks fighting for just one bid to the prestigious postseason bowl games. In 2014, Louisville or UCF would merely be missing out on a premier bowl game, this season the teams are opening the gate for a Top Ten team to be kept out in the cold.

Thus, it's a year for whoever gets the coveted non-AQ spot to relish it. No, these teams are not elite. No, they will not evoke memories of Kellen Moore or the ghost of Andy Dalton. Yet, that spot will be there for an eligible team, and with several deserving teams sitting at home during the early days of the BCS era, it is only fitting that they claim it proudly.

Northern Illinois signal-caller Jordan Lynch re-established himself as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country on Saturday with a record-breaking performance on the ground. 

In the Huskies' 38-17 win over the Central Michigan Chippewas, Lynch rushed for an FBS-record 316 yards by a quarterback. He added three scores on the ground, as well as 155 yards and a touchdown through the air. 

The Heisman Trophy candidate racked up his yards on 30 carries, averaging 9.9 yards per touch. 

He came into Saturday ranked 11th in the country in total offense with 324.8 yards per game. He also ranked third among quarterbacks in the nation with 102.7 rushing yards per game. But with BYU quarterback Taysom Hill averaging just five more yards at 107 per game, Lynch is sure to take the top spot in that category after Saturday. 

What was more impressive about Lynch's monster showing is that it came in a game where the Huskies struggled to pull away and maintain their perfect season. 

The Chippewas led the game 14-7 through the first quarter and trailed just 24-17 early in the fourth. 

But a three-yard touchdown run by Lynch with just over six minutes to play buried the Chippewas and allowed Northern Illinois to keep its BCS hopes alive. 

Lynch could go just as crazy next week on the ground, as the Huskies face the Eastern Michigan Eagles. The Eagles rank 120th out of 123 FBS teams in rush defense, giving up over 260 yards per game. 

The 2013 Northern Illinois University Huskies have almost mirrored their 2012 campaign through six games—with two stark differences.

First, the 2012 squad had lost one game.  The 2013 team has not.  Second, the 2012 squad typically looked dominant against inferior competition.  The 2013 team has not.

While Huskies fans are thrilled with the unbeaten start, there has to be concern with NIU's penchant for playing down to lesser competition.  If they truly are the 23rd-best team in the nation, as the current polls have them, there is no excuse to let weak sister programs such as Idaho, Eastern Illinois and Akron hang around late in games.

The Huskies have proven they can play with teams from a major conference, as road wins at Iowa and Purdue this season have demonstrated.  They showed the country they belonged on the field against a clearly more athletic Florida State team in last season's Orange Bowl.  

Yet they struggled mightily in two home games this season against teams they should have easily disposed of.  It's puzzling and concerning for Huskies fans.

Coach Rod Carey needs to figure out a way to get this season's team to play with the same passion and drive it shows against better competition when they play teams they are expected to beat.  Although at the end of the day, an undefeated record is the ultimate goal, style points do matter in terms of poll voting.  

Furthermore, NIU has managed to avoid a late-game upset thus far, but allowing teams to hang around late is going to end up biting them in the behind sooner or later.  

Northern Illinois has an unprecedented opportunity to play in a BCS bowl game two consecutive seasons.  Like last season, a number of pieces would have to fall into place, but nothing will matter if the Huskies can't at the very least climb up to No. 16 in the polls.  Last season, NIU managed to do that with one loss.  This season, there is absolutely no possibility it will happen if the Huskies falter even once.  

College football and everyone associated with it do not want another non-AQ team to slip into their promised land.  Even more so, they would be heated if it is the Northern Illinois Huskies yet again.  

What a perfect opportunity for NIU.  There is no shame in losing to a good team, but if the bubble is going to burst, it should not be against a team that doesn't belong on the same field as the Huskies.  It's time for Northern Illinois to step up and play like the dominant team they can be. 

There are a little more than three weeks left until college football begins on August 29, but one aspect of the sport has already kicked off—the race for the Heisman Trophy. 

Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch's campaign officially launched in the preseason. This may be the earliest launch in Heisman history.

Lynch became the first player in FBS history to pass for more than 3,000 yards and run for more than 1,500, according to the school's official website. 

The school sent Heisman voters a white soft-sided lunch bag made out of recyclable material. A red "Jordan Lynch for 6" logo is on the front. The "6" refers to Lynch's jersey number and his penchant for scoring touchdowns. Last year he passed for 25 and rushed for 19.

A card was included in the lunch bag that read, "Lunch with Lynch." That makes no sense, of course, but the card actually admitted that. Self-deprecating humor earns bonus points. 

Catchy? Yes. Effective? Yes. Original? Off-the-charts original. And it is "green," which should satisfy this planet's greenies. 

A reporter's notepad, aka media tablet, was also included in the insulated lunch bag. Reporters never have enough of those things. That was a nice touch.

NIU's media relations did a great job of creating a lot of interest and chatter about Lynch. The school's launch was creative and the first of what is surely many more to come.

Well done, Huskies.

Alabama, Louisville, Ohio State, Oregon and USC, you are now on the clock.   

At this time of the year, the term ‘Cinderella’ surfaces as we anxiously root for unforeseen underdogs to make a magical run in college basketball’s annual postseason. And although we’ll gladly embrace all dramatic underdog run-ups until the very moment they fall short, college football does exactly the opposite.

In college football, Cinderella is an unwelcomed outlier, a sign that something went wrong along the way.

After spending a week in Las Vegas for March Madness—which is about five days longer than one should ever spend in Vegas—I am still alive (barely), sober (I think) and officially March Madness-ed out.

Of all the things that I observed while enjoying the sights, scenes and smells (this, unfortunately, applies) of the various sportsbooks situated around the strip, one overwhelming theme stayed constant.

People really love the underdog.

In many instances, there was a financial intrigue for those who were bellowing wildly at Florida Gulf Coast’s magical run on a television the size of a condominium. Yes, some were “invested” in the success of these teams, although many simply wanted to embrace the chaos and the little guy making a stand.

Although it was obviously prevalent in Sin City, it wasn’t just Vegas. The sweltering overflow of Florida Gulf Coast support was everywhere, and the Eagles had company.

Wichita State was viewed as a welcomed giant killer when it took out Gonzaga, while the likes of La Salle, Harvard and others also brought brackets and more qualified opponents to their demise. The masses were happy to witness it all unravel, cheering as they ripped their sheet of scribbled teams in two. 

This Cinderella sentiment, this backing of the underdog, is something we’re comfortable getting behind, at least in this forum. It’s easy to root for someone or something that shouldn’t stand a chance—whether it’s basketball or life—and we as a society revel in tales of Davids beating their Goliaths.

In college football, however, we gravitate toward the opposite. Not only do underdogs go underappreciated often—especially in the BCS era—Davids highlight a system that is inherently flawed.

The little guy isn’t welcome, especially in the big-boy pool.

It reminds us of the frustration, of the computers, formulas, disinterested voters, and instead of backing the little guy of the moment, we cry for dramatic change. We circle scheduling differences, point out various stats that might apply and feel bad for the familiar powers left that may have a more “qualified” résumé.

I wrote about this very topic late last year when Northern Illinois budged its way into a BCS bowl late, thanks to a handful of losses from teams ahead of them in the BCS standings and a dramatic win over Kent State in the MAC Championship Game. 

At the time, the Huskies were viewed as undeserving, the latest little guy to sneak its way past the tired BCS walls. ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit made his criticism of IU’s BCS inclusion crystal clear shortly after it became official, and his sentiment was felt by many in the weeks leading up to its Orange Bowl clash against Florida State.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY-6SB0caQM

The game itself proved to be, well, not much of a game at all. Although Northern Illinois showed some signs of life early in the second half, there was a clear separation in talent and skill. Florida State was unable to turn this into the true blowout that everyone expected, although the 31-10 score wasn’t exactly a nail-biter.

It went as planned, and the underdog’s run fell short as anticipated. The haters felt vindicated (again), and Northern Illinois’ impressive season—yes, even with a very manageable schedule—was unfortunately overshadowed by the loss.

They’re not alone, either. Teams situated outside power conferences are not given the love they deserve when they surpass expectations. It was almost Kent State in 2012, Houston in 2011, Boise State at various times, of course, and others have stated their case.

When they come close to really throwing things into a tizzy, many hope it doesn't get to that point.

Forget about Cinderellas, these are "Busters."

Why is it that college football can’t connect with teams whose athletic budgets are a small drop in the bucket compared with the schools they’re up against? Why can’t we back the team whose roster—to steal some of the NCAA’s favorite slogan—“will go pro in something other than sports?”

Perhaps it is the current postseason format and even the slightly expanded version on the horizon. Unlike college basketball’s postseason, only a handful of teams have a chance at winning a national championship as the season progresses. Well, two to be exact, once the dust has settled. 

There are levels of success, certainly, and accomplishments that will make fans of all schools content, but crystal football privileges are typically reserved for only a handful of worthy teams. To some, those outside of this discussion are a nuisance or irrelevant.

Even being present in that discussion is a challenge, and most teams outside marquee conferences have to be absolutely perfect (and also lucky) to earn a place in the conversation during the second half of the season. Just look at Northern Illinois.

For everyone else with the qualifications, a bowl game will have to suffice. The problem, however, is that this bowl game boils down to a televised exhibition. There might be a trophy, significant dollars involved and a wonderful experience for the players, but in the end it doesn’t mean much once it has come and gone.

In college basketball, all 64 (or nowadays, 68) teams “technically” have a shot at being there until the very end. Although the No. 16 seeds don’t exactly ignite confidence, there’s still an open road. There’s also the possibility that we will treated to more than one game to watch it unfold.

In the end, our disdain for the underdog in college football likely centers around the BCS and what it has become. Better yet, what it hasn't.

It doesn’t take Northern Illinois to remind us that the nation’s “best” teams don't always compete in college football’s perceived yearly showcase lineup, but their presence gives us a reason to voice our frustration once again.

I’d love to think that this will change in 2014, but the new playoff system is starting to look a lot like BCS 2.0.

Perhaps it’ll just take one team. One Florida Gulf Coast football translation that conquers a manageable schedule, is perfect in every shape and form and culminates a Cinderella run by taking down two powerhouse programs in college football’s playoff en route to the crystal football.

Just one for the little guy that changes our perception for good.

Maybe then we’ll be able to appreciate the underdog in college football, after it has been done. Although even then, the masses would probably wonder how a fluke this large could occur and if the current system can be fixed.

A couple of weeks have passed since the Northern Illinois Huskies fell to the Florida State Seminoles 31-10 in the 2013 Discover Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

It was quite the achievement, whether some experts felt they earned the opportunity or not, for NIU to claim a BCS berth with a second consecutive Mid-American Conference Championship.

The Huskies had a great season after winning 12 straight games and showing they are a dominant program in the MAC.

In the last decade, they've had several great seasons under different head coaches and wins against BCS teams.

The best season was in 2003, when NIU had victories over Maryland (ACC), Alabama (SEC) and Iowa State (Big 12).

But for a team that has done so well in the MAC in recent years, it feels there is so much more the program can do.

While browsing online, I found a column by B/R writer Keith Justice regarding NIU jumping to the Big East Conference (yes, it took me awhile to finally sit down to read this).

The Big East does need to expand its membership with a few schools deciding they want to move out to another conference.

But I honestly don't think it would be a perfect fit for the Huskies.

Consider that in football, they would remain competitive but probably have some struggles in the first few years against teams like UConn, Syracuse and Louisville.

In other sports, the Huskies would have a lot of problems. For one, the basketball program has a hard time winning games in the MAC.

If the Huskies were to switch to the BCS, the best possible fit for them would be in the Big 10.

Think about this; they are already in the Midwest and have had a history playing teams in the conference.

They already have a games at Iowa and Purdue for the 2013 season.

I also see a great rivalry start between NIU and Illinois. They have faced each other before in some close games.

In 2010, NIU lost 28-22 at Memorial Stadium in an almost even match.

The Huskies may not have the largest attendance at their games, but they would be able to travel well in the Big 10 with schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Northwestern and Indiana.

The question remains if they will compete in a bigger conference.

There might be a season or two of adjusting to the new conference, but I could see them making an impact by Season 3.

They would have a better chance in a conference such as the Big 10 because of the Midwest market and the familiarity with the teams.

With Louisville and Rutgers both announcing they are headed for greener pastures, and Boise State deciding any pasture is better than the Big East, the distraught conference is once again left scrambling.

Many schools have been rumored to be targets for the Big East as they try to stay above water, yet a seemingly logical university has not been mentioned very often, if at all.

The Northern Illinois Huskies, fresh off their Orange Bowl appearance, seem to have some of the attributes that a remodeled Big East would covet.  For starters, their BCS bowl berth this season is not a one-time fluke.  The Huskies have been a mid-major powerhouse for more than a decade. Since Joe Novak resurrected the former laughingstock program, NIU has received multiple bowl berths, as well as being a perennial title contender in the Mid-American Conference.  

Secondly, the Huskies play in the third largest television market in the United States.  While it's no secret Northern Illinois has played third fiddle to both Northwestern and the University of Illinois in the Chicago market for years, NIU is a relatively large school with an abundance of graduates living in the metropolitan area.

The Orange Bowl appearance has already raised the stature of the program in the eyes of the local market, and an inclusion in a premiere conference would push the program further as a source of pride for Chicago.

Along those lines, there is a distinct possibility of growth for the program that the Big East might not find in other schools.  The aforementioned Wildcats and Illini have never exactly grasped the Chicago region with a stronghold that another school couldn't crack.  It's not out of the realm of possibility that a Northern Illinois team, with a raised profile in a large conference, could become the predominant team in the market.  

That should appeal to the Big East.

Huskie stadium is subpar and attendance at games hasn't been terrific.  These are two issues that the Big East would have concerns about.  However, given the enormous size of the market, increased interest in the program and corporate money could easily solve both of these issues in very short order.  

The Big East has reached out to service academies, Fresno State and a bottom feeder such as UNLV.  Isn't Northern Illinois a far better option than any of these schools?