Northern Illinois is through to the MAC Championship game and has one more regular season hurdle to clear before playing for the league crown and, perhaps, a BCS bowl bid. The Huskies welcome in Western Michigan for senior day, and this one doesn’t figure to be much of a game for long.
How to watch Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois 2013: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
Northern Illinois will try to preserve its perfect season against WMU. Here’s what you need to know in order to catch the game.
Kirk Irwin
The Broncos have won just once all season, and they have looked overmatched against some of the other top teams in the league. They’re giving up 35.6 points per game while allowing opponents to gain an average of 5.8 yards per play. Those numbers do not bode well, to say the least.
The numbers
Rankings and records: NIU is 11-0 (7-0) and atop the MAC West standings. The Huskies are No. 14 in the BCS standings, No. 18 in the AP Poll and No. 20 in the Coaches’ Poll. Western Michigan is last in the West Division at 1-10 (1-6).
Vegas: NIU opened as a 33.5-point favorite. The over/under opened at 63.5.
Weather: The high in Dekalb Tuesday isn’t expected to exceed 30.
Three names to know
Jordan Lynch -- There's not much left that can be said about Lynch at this point -- the touchdown factory has 17 rushing scores to go with 21 passing TDs. He's well over 1,000 yards rushing for the second consecutive year, and he appears on his way to another 3,000-yard passing season as well.
Corey Davis -- Despite WMU’s struggles at quarterback, Davis has been able to put together a good year. He leads the Broncos with 913 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He has accounted for half of the team’s receiving scores in 2013.
Da'Ron Brown -- Brown hasn't been Lynch's favorite target, but he has been a big play guy for NIU. His nine receiving touchdowns lead the team, and he is averaging 16.8 yards per catch.
Two things at stake
Northern Illinois has done what it had to do in recent weeks to lock up a spot in the MAC title game and stay in the running for an at-large BCS bowl bid. This game means nothing in terms of the Huskies’ MAC fate, but it is vital in the larger picture, because all it’ll take is one loss to knock the team completely from the BCS picture.
Western Michigan is probably ready to move on from this difficult season -- an upset almost certainly isn’t happening, especially considering the game is in DeKalb. A WMU victory would represent one of the most surprising outcomes of the season, and it would give the Broncos some time in the national spotlight.
How to witness
TV: ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Further reading
For complete coverage of this game, be sure to visit NIU blog Red And Black Attack and MAC blog Hustle Belt.
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