Northern Illinois Football

Ever since the BCS selection show a week ago, the biggest debate in college football has been whether Northern Illinois deserved its spot in the Orange Bowl versus Florida State.

First, let me state that I have no problem with Northern Illinois being in a BCS bowl game.  None at all.  Actually I'm happy to see the Huskies get the opportunity. I'll tell you why.

For the past week, I have listened to numerous critics tell me why NIU does not belong in a BCS bowl game. They say NIU's presence in the Orange Bowl is a sad statement about college football.

There was no bigger critic of NIU's selection than ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, whose inexcusable rant has been a hot topic of conversation.

Herbstreit and many others have a laundry list of reasons why the Huskies are not worthy of their BCS selection.

The biggest complaint has been that NIU is the first non-AQ team to reach a BCS bowl without going undefeated and that their one loss came to a 4-8 Iowa team, which Herbstreit anointed as the worst team in the Big Ten.

Sorry, Kirk, I wish I could agree with you, believe me, but the worst team in the Big Ten this year happened to be my beloved Fighting Illini of Illinois, and it wasn't even close.  As much as I would love it to be Iowa, it was not.

Now, Iowa was by no means a good team. But what has failed to be mentioned by many is that NIU had that game won until the final two minutes.  They led 10-6 at the half and 17-9 after three quarters, only to see Iowa grab the lead with just more than two minutes to go and walk away with an 18-17 victory.

Yes it's still a loss, but it was the first game of the year, not to mention the first start for quarterback Jordan Lynch.  The Huskies were two minutes away from being undefeated. If that had turned out to be the case,  we may not even be having this discussion.

Instead, NIU went 12-1, winning 12 straight games in the process.  Yes, everyone understands the Huskies  don't play the same level of competition as some of the other schools in the BCS, but that certainly doesn't mean that if they did, they would lose.

It's also not their fault. They play the teams on their schedule.  This has always been the problem with the BCS format.  A team like NIU can go 12-1 or even undefeated, but can't compete for a championship or even a BCS game because someone has deemed them unworthy based on its competition.

If that is the case, what exactly are these teams playing for?  What's their motivation, the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl?

Don't get me wrong. It's nice to get an invitation to a bowl game, but there's really only one game that matters and that's the national championship game.

That's why I don't understand the diatribe by Herbstreit against the Huskies.  What are we arguing about here?  It's essentially the right to play in an exhibition game that doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things. 

And again, it's not like Northern Illinois didn't earn it.  Yes, there are probably several other deserving teams that could have been invited, but you could say that for just about every bowl game.

Northern Illinois played by the rules and they're in—case closed.

Unlike Herbstreit and many others, I think it's great for college football to have a team like NIU playing in a high-profile bowl game. People like to root for the underdog.

Teams like Boise State and TCU have done it in the past, so why not Northern Illinois?

If nothing else, this program has paid its dues and deserves an opportunity like this.

They had some lean years in DeKalb in the late 80s and into the mid-90s before coach Joe Novak came to town and turned things around.

Since then, NIU has become a force in the MAC.  The Huskies have now won back-to-back conference titles and have produced such big-time players as Michael Turner, Garrett Wolfe, Chandler Harnisch and Jordan Lynch over the years.

Now they're finally getting their opportunity on the big stage and by doing so, they are making history.  They will be the first MAC team to play in a BCS bowl.

They don't have to justify their invitation to anyone. They did what they had to do to get there. But it would certainly help their case in the eyes of many if they made a solid showing against Florida State on January 1.

They will be facing a team that is certainly talented and definitely the best they have seen this season, but that doesn't mean they're going to lay down.

This game may be more competitive than many think.  I am not saying that Northern Illinois will win this game, but I would expect them to hang in there for a while.

Either way, this team has achieved something that has never been done before and that should be appreciated.

So I say, good luck, Huskies.  Enjoy your time in the spotlight.

Before I continue, I must say that I, just like many Chicago area citizens, are extremely proud of the 2012 Northern Illinois Huskies football program.

They are the first Mid-American Conference team to reach a BCS bowl game. They are also only the second Illinois institution to get into the BCS.

The last team to do so was the Illinois Fighting Illini in both 2001 and 2007. The NIU football program had plenty of glory days during the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's.

They struggled greatly during the 70's and 80's with the exception of a conference championship in 1983.

The 90's was a rebuilding era for NIU football, and by the turn of the century, the program was finally headed in the right direction.

The Huskies have played in 12 bowl games during the program's history. But none of them have come close to the stature of the game that they will play in on New Year's Day.

NIU will face ACC Champion Florida State in the Orange Bowl in Miami. Northern Illinois comes in with a 12-1 record and the 2012 Mid-American Conference Championship.

Despite those credentials, there are many who feel the Huskies do not deserve to be in a BCS bowl game.

Ever since the BCS selections were announced last weekend, there has been an onslaught of negativity towards the Huskies.

The reason for the negative vibes is the modest schedule that NIU played this year. 

The Huskies have been known for stacking their non-conference schedule with BCS opponents in recent years.

This year they only played two, a win over Kansas and a loss to Iowa. Both of those schools finished with a combined record of 5-19.

They also played FCS Tennessee-Martin and a struggling 2-10 Army program.

On top of that, six of their conference opponents had losing records. They may not have had the greatest schedule, but they did impress in other categories.

Out of the seven conference champions in this year's Bowl Championship Series, NIU is one of only three championship teams with one loss.

The Huskies are also one of only five conference champions that are ranked in the BCS top 15.

Big East champion Louisville is ranked in the bottom five of the BCS rankings. Big Ten champion Wisconsin didn't even make it into the final BCS poll.

NIU also ranks higher than Louisville and Wisconsin in the human polls. It also average 35 points game, with a top-20 defense.

When you put all of these stats together, you end up with one big stalemate. If the FBS had a playoff system, this stalemate would not exist.

Even though there will be a four-team playoff starting in 2014, that system will not work. There will be too many teams left out.

The best system would be a 12-team playoff consisting of the 11 conference champions and the best independent team.

If there was a playoff system in place this year, the NIU Huskies would get a little more praise.

I am part of the majority that feels that the Bowl Championship Series has been a failure more often than not.

Most of that same majority feels that Northern Illinois' Orange Bowl bid is a perfect example of that failure.

Hopefully a true playoff system will come to fruition one day, and all previous wrongs will be righted.

Until then, I hope that the Huskies use the hatred as motivation to drive themselves towards victory on January 1.

Everyone who believes that the Northern Illinois Huskies do not deserve a BCS Bowl bid should stuff it! I have heard enough of already! NIU should have just as much of a chance to play in a BCS Bowl game as Wisconsin, Louisville and Oklahoma does.

Just do not tell that to ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, who bared no expense in trashing NIU as a BCS Bowl team during the BCS Bowl Selection Show.

The fact that Northern Illinois is in the BCS in 2012 is really a sad state for college football and where we are in the current system. Thank goodness we're moving toward a new system in 2014.

They don't deserve to be in the BCS this year. Are you kidding me with Northern Illinois playing in the BCS? Northern Illinois, no one knew they were playing until the Toledo game a few weeks ago. You're going to leave Oklahoma out to put Northern Illinois into a BCS bowl game? Are you kidding me?

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

Herbstreit was not the only one upset with NIU getting the at-large berth in the Discover Orange Bowl. KSL.com, a Salt Lake City-based online newspaper held a poll discussing if NIU were deserving of the selection as well.   

There has been a great deal moaning and complaining about NIU earning the right to face the Florida State Seminoles on January 1st. NIU versus FSU is a matchup that, depending on who you ask, no one wants to see. As a member of the MAC Conference, NIU is an unknown entity to most of the college football world. The larger FBS schools generally take the bulk of the spotlight.

Because the country is so fixated on the mega-conferences such as the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-10, NIU was able to sneak up in the polls.

Is it NIU’s fault that they have a higher ranking (15th in the AP Poll) than Louisville (22nd) and Wisconsin (unranked)? Those teams represent the winners of the Big East and Big Ten conference championships.

Louisville is 10-2. Perhaps they earned their BCS Bowl bid. They get the right to face “No. 3” Florida in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Four other Big East schools received bowl bids but none of them are ranked in the AP Poll.  

Louisville’s non-conference schedule included Kentucky, Missouri State, North Carolina, Florida International and Southern Mississippi. If you take away North Carolina’s 8-4 record, Louisville’s non-conference opponents combined record was 7-39.

Seven schools received bowl bids in the MAC Conference and Kent State is ranked 25th. NIU’s non-conference opponents included, Iowa, Tennessee-Martin, Army and Kansas. Their combined record was 15-31.

Louisville plays in a tougher conference and according to CollegeFootballPoll.com, their current strength of schedule is 66th out of 124 schools. NIU had a weaker strength of schedule, which is 122nd. Where NIU has an edge over Louisville is in CFP’s Congrove rankings. NIU is 11th while Louisville is 18th.

I compared NIU to Louisville because there is little fuss over Louisville getting an automatic bid to a BCS Bowl despite NIU having a better overall record and ranking.

There is also very little fuss about Wisconsin getting their automatic BCS Bowl ticket punched with an 8-5 record.

Very few people would suggest that NIU is a better team than the three biggest snubs, Oklahoma, Georgia and Texas A&M. There are a couple of arguments to be made why NIU is a feasible option over each of the snubs.

In the case of Georgia and Texas A&M, they are both SEC schools. With two schools, Alabama and Florida already in BCS Bowls, having a third team would not be good for college football. It waters down the purpose of the BCS and represents exclusivity within one football conference.

As for Oklahoma, they did deserve a BCS Bowl bid, but I must pose these questions before I am ready to suggest they were a better choice over NIU.

Did Oklahoma win the Big 12 conference title?

No.

Does the Big 12 have a conference title game?

No.

How many losses does Oklahoma have?

They have two loses.

When did Oklahoma lose their last game?

It was October 27th, their seventh game of the season.

If those same questions were posed for NIU everything would point in their favor. They also have one secret weapon. His name is Jordan Lynch. He is an exciting dual-threat quarterback generating early Heisman Trophy buzz for next season. Oklahoma has nothing that comes close to Lynch.

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

Win or lose the game, NIU will come out victorious in terms of media attention and a possible recruiting bump. They have a chance to compete with the same big-boy schools that would refuse to play them otherwise.  

It was time to give another school outside of the major conferences to have a crack at BCS glory.

Kirk Herbstreit, you’re welcome.  

Moments after the announcement that Northern Illinois moved up to the 15th spot in the BCS rankings and received the automatic BCS bid, the detractors were out in full force.  While the coaches and players from NIU celebrated their unlikely rise to national prominence, commentators were shockingly harsh, almost to the point of venomous, as they attacked the Huskies' BCS bowl credentials.  

So let's examine why the Huskies deserve their bowl bid.  For starters, these kids on the Northern Illinois football team should apologize to no one for busting the BCS.  They are not villains, as we were almost led to believe from some shameful reporting.  After narrowly losing their first game, they slowly climbed up in the polls as they took care of business in each and every game and finished the season on a 12-game winning streak.  Only Notre Dame can claim a similar winning streak, and they are playing in the national championship.  No one is complaining about that.

If NIU played in the Big Ten, SEC or ACC, no one would blink at their inclusion in the BCS bowls.  But they don't.  They play in the MAC.

The MAC schools, like schools in all other mid-major conferences, face a competitive disadvantage to schools in the big conferences.  The major conference schools have bigger stadiums, better facilities, larger recruiting budgets and impressive fanbases.  Consequently, they get most of the blue-chip prospects coming out of high school.  The kids they pass on fall to schools like Northern Illinois.  The assumption is then drawn that mid-major schools can't compete with the big boys because they just don't have the talent to play on the same level.

In a lot of instances, that is true, but every so often a team rises above and suggests that through smart recruiting and solid coaching, it can play with anyone.  That is Northern Illinois this season.  It did what was necessary to gain entry into a BCS bowl through the convoluted rules that were drawn up by the administrators of the bowl championship series.  

Most pundits don't argue that Northern Illinois is deserving of a rank in the top 16.  While they may not believe the Huskies are better than some that ended up ranked below them, it would be a tough sell to rank those teams that imploded toward the end of the season any higher.  The real problem, for many, is the system itself.  

The elitists simply don't want mid-major schools to crash their party.  At the core, that's the biggest problem.

This is collegiate athletics.  Every Division I school should have the opportunity to gain exposure for its program, to gain money for its conference and to try to even the field between the patricians and the plebeians.  Every one of these privileged schools who did not make a BCS bowl had the opportunity to do so; they just didn't win their conference.  Northern Illinois did.  

The BCS, in all probability, doesn't want a team like Northern Illinois in, but it is the right thing to do.  The opportunity has to be there for all teams that play Division I football to aspire to a BCS bowl or even a national championship. 

So for this year, this one year, Cinderella made the ball.  It took a remarkable last week for all the pieces to fall into place, but they did.  Now Northern Illinois is in, and college football fans should be thankful for it.  

Oh, and they will beat Florida State as well.  

Jordan Lynch is simply a difference-maker.  While many will assume that he will have problems running against a more athletic team than he has faced during the regular season, his style of running won't be affected by what Florida State tries to do against him.  Most quarterbacks who have success running the ball do so because they have blistering speed and are able to get the corner or gain yards when protection breaks and they scramble for yardage.  

Lynch is different.  Although he has good speed, he isn't a burner.  He is a disciplined, patient runner.  He has the ability to change tack and gain positive yardage when his blocking on the designed play doesn't work out as planned.  He's also a horse who gets better as the game progresses and the defense tires.

Akeem Daniels does have the speed to get to the corner, and he compliments Lynch's running style perfectly.  FSU will key on Lynch, and Daniels will find his spots to break big runs.

FSU will likely do everything they can to stop Lynch and Daniels from running, but Lynch is dangerous throwing the ball as well.  FSU has had problems at times with pass defense, and NIU can and will exploit this.

While NIU might find themselves overmatched defensively at times, they have the ability to do enough to allow their offense to win the game.  NIU has been very good at not turning over the ball this season.  If they can continue, for one more game, to protect the ball, this will be a Huskie victory.  

For one night, on the first day of a new year, Northern Illinois gets an opportunity to stand up for the little guy.  Cheer on the Huskies.  It's the right thing to do.

Northern Illinois going to the Orange Bowl is not exactly the "don't hate the player, hate the game" scenario that some, like ESPN's Danny Kanell, are making it out to be:

I hate the current bowl system. Happy for NIU -they deserve a shot but Oklahoma is the best 2 loss team in the country and getting hosed

— Danny Kanell (@dkanell13) December 3, 2012

No, in the case of the Huskies, it is more of a "don't hate the player or the game, hate the other players who sucked at the game" type of a scenario.

You see, this shouldn't be about Huskies quarterback Jordan Lynch defending his team as he did in the Chicago Sun-Times. As ESPN's Big Ten Blog pointed out, Northern Illinois players were less than thrilled with ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit bashing their team and their BCS bid.

One player threw an orange at the video screen when Kirk Herbstreit when he said NIU didn't deserve BCS berth

— Rittenberg/Bennett (@ESPN_BigTen) December 3, 2012

The Huskies should not have to defend themselves, nor should the BCS or the Orange Bowl. If anyone should be taken to task and forced to defend themselves, it is the Big East, the Big Ten and even Oklahoma.

Those factors determined how the Sooners are in the Cotton Bowl and how the Huskies gained entrance into the Orange Bowl.

Sorry, Charlie, your after-the-fact outrage is falling on deaf ears in this instance. Oklahoma, win the title for real instead of hoping for an at-large spot. Don't lose to Kansas State, at home, and you do not have to worry about not getting a BCS spot.

More importantly, if random pundits want to be upset because Oklahoma (the No. 11 team) does not get to go, they need to wake up and realize they are blaming the same system that would help the Sooners get in over higher-ranked squads.

Oklahoma is not even a Top 10 team. Yet people are upset the Sooners can't go but are okay with Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M and South Carolina going to non-BCS bowls due to the system's two-team cap.

You cannot have it both ways. The system is the system, and instead of directing your vitriol at a Northern Illinois team that worked the system to success, you need to be mad at the Big Ten and the Big East for leaving the door wide open.

Blame Nebraska for getting their skull dragged all over the field by a five-loss Wisconsin team and giving the opportunity to the Huskies. Even in a loss, if the Cornhuskers were at least competitive, perhaps Northern Illinois would not garner enough support to come in at No. 15.

Point that finger at the Big East, whose champion was at No. 9 before dropping games to Syracuse and Connecticut to fall out of the rankings. If Louisville had avoided the loss to UConn, it would still be ahead of the Huskies, leaving Northern Illinois out and putting Oklahoma in.

Do not blame the Huskies. All they did was go out and win 12 of their 13 games this season. All they did was play the best football they could and then let the chips fall where they may. Thanks to some poor performances by teams in a couple of different conferences, those chips pushed Northern Illinois into the BCS picture.

So, no, don't hate the player. Don't hate the game. Hate all of those other teams that failed to play the game to your liking.

The fact that Northern Illinois will be in a BCS bowl has caused much debate in the college football world. However, the team's appearance will be a good thing for the sport.

By winning the Mid-American Conference Championship Game over Kent State, the Huskies climbed up the rankings to the No. 15 spot in the BCS standings. This automatically earned the team a spot in a prestigious BCS game.

Any non-AQ team that wins its conference, finishes in the Top 16 in the BCS and finishes above the champion of one of the BCS conferences (in this case Louisville), gets a bid.

The rule allows Northern Illinois to be the first non-BCS school to reach this level without an undefeated season.

This disturbs traditional college football fans that feel slighted that teams like Georgia, LSU and Oklahoma did not make the cut. Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN had one of the bigger rants on Sunday night (via SportsCenter's Twitter account):

"You're going to leave Oklahoma out (of BCS game) for Northern Illinois?Are you kidding me?!It's an absolute joke!" - @kirkherbstreit

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 3, 2012

However, it is important to see the bigger picture.

While most would not argue on behalf of the Huskies in a head-to-head matchup with any top SEC team, putting them in the BCS is a positive.

College football is one of the most top-heavy sports in American culture. The entire regular season is focused on a select few teams from only a couple of areas in the country.

Most people are focused on selecting the national champion, and rightfully so, but there are also a number of great stories from around the country that are almost ignored. 

One such story is Northern Illinois, a team that has won 12 games in a row behind one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. Jordan Lynch currently leads the nation with 1,771 rushing yards. That is not a list for only quarterbacks, but the entire FBS. 

If not for a one-point loss to Iowa (before injuries started to tear apart the Hawkeyes) in the opening game of the season, the Huskies would be undefeated.

These players have put together quite a season and deserve to be in the spotlight.

Fans have already seen plenty of the big boys this year; they do not need another big game to prove themselves.

This also gives the Huskies a chance to win some recruiting battles and possibly return to this point in the future. It helps the sport become deeper than just a few top teams.

In addition, the restriction on how many teams each conference can send to the BCS creates a better chance to truly see who is best in college football.

With only 12 games for teams to prove themselves, including only four non-conference games, it is difficult to truly get a read on the top teams. The SEC passes the "eye test," meaning the teams look good, but there is no way of knowing who would win until the teams play.

Last year when Alabama played LSU in a national championship rematch, it did not prove who was the best in the nation. All it proved was that the Crimson Tide were narrowly better than the rest of the SEC.

Alabama might have destroyed any other team on the football field, but other teams deserved a chance.

If the SEC was allowed more teams in the BCS, the top bowl games would just be filled with the same programs every year. This would not only create staleness in the sport, but it would also prevent other teams from ever getting a chance to show what they can do.

College basketball has a 68-team tournament to decide its champion at the end of the year. However, it is not necessarily the top 68 teams that enter, because each conference sends its winner to the tournament.

This gives teams a chance to not only be seen, but also to prove their merit. Teams like Lehigh and Norfolk State took that opportunity last year and defeated squads that were considered much better.

There can never be a tournament like this in college football, but the idea to include a wide range of schools on the biggest stage is something to be admired.

Finally, people are discounting the excitement that could come from the actual game that Northern Illinois plays. 

The Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and Oklahoma will go down as one of the greatest college football games ever to be played, but it never would have happened if it was up to many of the poll voters.

With Lynch at the helm, anything can happen in this showdown between a Top 10 offense and a Top 10 defense on Florida State. 

The Orange Bowl should be truly enjoyable, despite the fact that there is no SEC team involved.

Hopefully, it leads to more talented teams coming from around the country and crashing the BCS party.

Follow @TheRobGoldberg

The analysts have spoken, and the Northern Illinois Huskies do not deserve the Orange Bowl bid they received.  

Never mind the Huskies won 12 games with only one loss. Never mind they finished 15th in the nation in the computer polls. Never mind they won their conference, which all the teams on the outside looking in did not.

The Huskies aren't good enough to play in the Orange Bowl. That's the common belief.

Yet there they are, and we should be excited about their inclusion. While it may be true that the Oklahoma Sooners are a more talented team than Northern Illinois, would a BCS bowl game with Oklahoma be more interesting than a BCS bowl game with the Huskies?  

Oklahoma certainly has a larger fanbase, and it has more national interest. However, let's just say the Sooners were put in the Orange Bowl against Florida State—is that a game that really stokes the fires of any football fan that doesn't have a rooting interest in either of the two teams?

For football purists, maybe it does. But for the common fan, the Northern Illinois Huskies bandwagon is ready to be jumped upon. The Huskies are a great underdog story. We love great underdog stories. Remember Rudy? Remember the Americans beating the Russians in the Olympics?  

Northern Illinois has become a hot topic team, no matter how you feel about its bowl bid.  For those who love the Cinderella story, you now have a team to root for. For those who are outraged about the Huskies' inclusion, you now have a team to root against, and hope they get blown out by 40 points. No matter what your opinion is, their game against Florida State generates interest.  

The BCS system is hopelessly flawed, and this season has shown that perhaps more than any other. But for college football, it's tremendous. College football, at its core, is a business, and there is nothing worse for business than apathy. There is nothing about the Northern Illinois BCS bowl bid that would generate an apathetic reaction.  

And that is a win for college football. 

For teams like Northern Illinois, so much has changed in the last decade when it comes to the respect of mid-major teams.

The Huskies (12-1) have surprised many college football fans and have found themselves in the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day to face Florida State.

Growing up in nearby Sterling, I remember the last time NIU was in the BCS discussion.

In 2003, the Huskies began their season with a shocking 20-13 overtime upset of Maryland, who came to DeKalb ranked 15th in the nation.

Later that season, the Huskies defeated Alabama on the road and defeated Iowa State at home. The season included wins over teams in the SEC, ACC and Big 12. The Huskies were also ranked 10th in the initial BCS rankings that season.

But losses at Bowling Green and Toledo that year left NIU at 10-2 with no bowl game due to the lack of berths available to the Mid-American Conference that year.

Over the years, other mid-major teams like Boise State, Utah and TCU have made their way into the BCS discussion, giving teams in the smaller conferences a chance to play with the big boys in January.

Now there is some controversy amongst some analysts, like Kirk Herbstreit, who claim that NIU doesn't deserve a chance to play in this season's Orange Bowl.

Northern Illinois is entering the BCS with a lack of respect from experts despite being led by junior quarterback Jordan Lynch, who has thrown for 2,962 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Lynch also set the NCAA rushing record for quarterbacks with 1,771 yards in addition to 19 touchdowns.

But many are dissecting the Huskies' season and stating that unlike the earlier mentioned teams that would go undefeated to get into the BCS, NIU doesn't have a stellar resume.

Sure, NIU didn't have a great start with a loss to Iowa at Chicago's Soldier Field. The Hawkeyes finished 4-8 with two wins in the Big Ten.

After that, the Huskies defeated Tennessee Tech at home before earning a win at Army (2-9) and going back home to defeat Kansas (1-11).

Even I'll admit that's not the greatest non-conference schedule for a team in the BCS. However, it can't be ignored that the Huskies went 8-0 in conference play en route to their second straight MAC Championship.

The win against Kent State earned the team national attention and sneaked them through the computer rankings into New Year's Day.

Not the road that is expected of a Cinderella team. But why criticize this team for taking this opportunity? If so, then you'd have to question the qualifications of Wisconsin (8-5), who will face Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

NIU is getting the Rodney Dangerfield treatment from some of the so-called experts. I'm sure the Huskies won't mind being the underdog. It's kind of in their history to prove experts wrong.

Regardless of which school you represent, a good quarterback is a good quarterback.

Northern Illinois junior Jordan Lynch may have only now just earned some national recognition, despite having put together a tremendous season as a dual-threat quarterback.

After Friday night's 44-37 double-overtime win over Kent State in the Mid-American Conference Championship, Lynch now has 2,962 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

While those numbers aren't among the nation's leaders, Lynch did break Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson's rushing record with 1,771 yards along with 19 touchdowns.

Those numbers are enough to earn a player the MAC Most Valuable Player of the Year award. But for the Heisman Trophy, it's hard when not a lot of fans have watched you play.

The Huskies have played two nationally televised games this season. So there have only been two opportunities for the average fan to watch Lynch in action, in contrast to some other players who are leading the list of Heisman hopefuls.

Granted, now the average fan who caught the MAC Championship knows that Lynch is the record-setting running quarterback with 160 yards and three touchdowns against Kent State.

But there isn't a lot of media attention for one of NIU's best players in history. I can't even put a tag on Lynch in this article because he doesn't even show up.

To be honest, it would be very difficult for someone like Lynch to even make the trip to New York City.

Does he deserve it?

Well, any player that can lead a team to a school-record 12 wins in a row while being the biggest factor on offense in his first season as a full-time starter deserves some recognition.

But let's face it, the voters are not even going to give Lynch more than a quick glance over his stats before they see that he's in a mid-major conference and move on to guys like Texas A&M's Johnny "Football" Manziel, Notre Dame's Manti Te'o or Kansas State's Collin Klein.

If nothing else, Lynch has helped give Northern Illinois some much-needed press after that thrilling game with the Golden Flashes to set up a big run for next season.

The Northern Illinois Huskies shoot for a second straight conference title when they take on the upstart Golden Flashes of Kent State in the MAC Championship Game at Ford Field in Detroit on Friday night (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

Not only is the conference championship on the line when these two teams face off, but the winner has a chance to play in a BCS bowl.

As of midweek, most sportsbooks tracked by OddsShark.com had Northern Illinois favored by five points; as of Wednesday morning, the Huskies had been bumped to minus-6.

NIU, after beating Ohio in the MAC Championship Game last year, only returned four starers on offense this season but was still expected to contend for the West Division title.

And in averaging 40 points per game, the Huskies rolled through their MAC schedule undefeated, capping off their regular season with a 49-7 victory over Eastern Michigan last Friday.

Northern Illinois has won its last 16 MAC games.

Kent State, meanwhile, returned 16 starters this season—eight on each side of the ball—from a team that finished on a 4-1 run last year. But most “experts” figured that the Flashes would finish somewhere in the middle of the East Division this season.

Instead, KSU went a perfect 8-0 in MAC play, winning three conference games outright as underdogs.

Kent State completed its best regular season in program history with a 28-6 drubbing of Ohio last Friday and has won 12 of its last 13 MAC games.  

Kent State also, presumably, has broken a 40-year bowl drought. The last time that the Flashes played in a bowl game, Jack Lambert was playing linebacker for KSU in its loss to Tampa University in the 1972 Tangerine Bowl,.

Statistically speaking, Northern Illinois outgained opponents this season by an average of 118 yards per game and outrushed foes by 100 yards a game.

Kent State, meanwhile, was outgained by an average of eight yards a game this season but averaged 242 rushing yards per game compared to 128 yards for its opponents.

The Huskies' lone loss this season was an 18-17 decision against Iowa back in Week 1 while the Flashes' only defeat was a 47-14 downing to Kentucky in Week 2.

These two teams have been among the best in college football to bet on this season; the Flashes are 10-2 ATS, and the Huskies 9-2-1.

Northern Illinois has beaten KSU five consecutive times. Last year, the Huskies beat the Flashes 40-10, outgaining Kent State 344 to 64. 

Free MAC Championship Game Pick: The Huskies have MAC Player of the Year Jordan Lynch at QB and a defense that got better as the season progressed. The Flashes have the MAC Coach of the Year in Darrell Hazell, two 1,000-yard rushers and a plus-20 turnover ratio. We'll give the points with NIU. (courtesy of PickShark.com)