Jacobson: Steve, the Orange Bowl has finally arrived. It seems like an eternity ago that we were in Detroit watching Northern Illinois come away with a double-overtime win over Kent State for its second consecutive Mid-American Conference Championship. In reality, it’s been exactly one month. Do you think the long layoff benefits one team more than the other? I would lean toward NIU only because of the coaching change.

Nitz: I think people make too big of a deal out of stuff like this. I guess if I had to say, it benefits NIU because of the whole transition.

But let’s be honest, in the end, talent and coaching play out. When whoever wins, it will be because of talent and coaching. Once the game starts, the big break between games won’t really matter.