1. NIU football earns berth to Orange Bowl

Coming off a Mid-American Conference Championship in 2011, NIU football started off the calendar year with a victory in the GoDaddy.com bowl. That would be only the start of the Huskies’ most successful year in school history.

NIU lost its season opener to Iowa, 18-17, but then rattled off 11 victories in a row to close the regular season and earn a third consecutive berth in the MAC title game. In Detroit, the Huskies needed two overtimes to defeat Kent State, 44-37, and win their second consecutive conference crown.