NIU football made history on Saturday with its upset of the University of Notre Dame to be ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the first time since 2013.
Now, the Huskies are on a bye week, meaning their No. 25 ranking rests on the performances of the teams playing in Week 3. Here’s five outcomes to root for for the Huskies to defend their top-25 status.
No. 20 ARIZONA AT NO. 14 KANSAS STATE
7 p.m. CT Friday | Bill Snyder Family Stadium | Manhattan, Kansas.
The University of Arizona travels east to meet new Big 12 Conference rival Kansas State University for a Friday night showdown in America’s Heartland.
Both teams are ranked higher than NIU. Both teams are, frankly, better on paper than NIU. The key difference? The University of Arizona has the better chance of dropping below NIU. Kansas State losing might drop the Wildcats down to the high teens or the 20s. Arizona losing could cause the Wildcats to fall out of the Top 25 entirely, especially after struggling with Northern Arizona University – a Football Conference Subdivision program – for a half in Week 2.
Plus, have you seen sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson’s hair? How could you root against that?
No. 16 LSU AT SOUTH CAROLINA
11 a.m. CT Saturday | Williams-Brice Stadium | Columbia, South Carolina.
Louisiana State University and the University of South Carolina will meet Saturday for a Southeastern Conference rivalry matchup in Gamecock territory. The pairing promises to be the most competitive game on this list, as ESPN only gives LSU a 51.3% chance to win.
LSU winning doesn’t bear much weight on the status quo, but a loss doesn’t bode well for the Huskies. South Carolina received 10 votes in Sunday’s poll, and an upset of a top-20 SEC school could give voters cause to put the Gamecocks over a Group of Five school like NIU.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT ILLINOIS
11 a.m. CT Saturday | Memorial Stadium | Champaign, Illinois.
The University of Illinois accumulated 101 votes in Sunday’s poll as NIU narrowly made the cut in the rankings. Illinois will look to move to 3-0 Saturday as it hosts Central Michigan University, one of NIU’s Mid-American Conference rivals, for Homecoming.
As slimy as it sounds, gunning for a Chippewas upset is the smart move. A Fighting Illini loss would give NIU breathing room in the polling. Plus, it gives the MAC a bit more respectability with a victory over a Big Ten team.
No. 24 BOSTON COLLEGE AT NO. 6 MISSOURI
11:45 a.m. CT Saturday | Memorial Stadium | Columbia, Missouri.
Boston College finished just two votes ahead of NIU in the Week 3 AP Top 25 poll to take the No. 24 spot in the national rankings. This weekend, the Golden Eagles are staring at a certain defeat as they face the sixth-ranked University of Missouri Tigers on the road.
If you’re NIU, you want Mizzou to crush Boston College – as expected – thus clearing the way for NIU to climb up the national rankings.
No. 18 NOTRE DAME AT PURDUE
2:30 p.m. CT Saturday | Ross-Ade Stadium | West Lafayette, Indiana.
After suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of NIU on Saturday, Notre Dame will take a two-hour trip to battle in-state foe Purdue University in the Shillelagh Trophy Game. Though ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives Notre Dame a 73.9% chance to win, one can always count on Purdue’s reputation as the “Spoilermakers” to make things interesting.
Sure, it’d be amusing to see Notre Dame lose as the favorite yet again. But at the end of the day, a Fighting Irish victory puts NIU’s win over them in a better light.
