Last season, Northern Illinois ended the year ranked No. 26 in the USA Today Coaches poll after its GoDaddy.com Bowl victory. The Huskies were 28th in The Associated Press poll.

It was the same case two years ago, when NIU finished just outside the Top 25 after its Humanitarian Bowl victory. In fact, despite its recent run of success the past decade or so, NIU hasn’t finished a season in the Top 25.

Should the Huskies keep rolling, that will change this season. NIU stands at 6-1 and the Nov. 14 game against Toledo likely will decide which team will represent the Mid-American Conference’s West Division in the league championship game.