With the recent upset of Ball State over Central Michigan, football is in control of its destiny in the MAC. The Huskies’ fifth-straight MAC Championship game appearance is within reach, but some tough teams still pose a threat to their championship aspirations. Two teams that stand out on NIU’s schedule are Toledo and Western Michigan.

Ryan Simpson: The Western Michigan Broncos are the biggest obstacle between NIU and another MAC Championship game appearance. The Broncos are an offensive powerhouse.

Their defense is no joke, either. The Broncos have forced nine turnovers to NIU’s six. But, the Achilles heel of the Broncos’ defense is stopping the run.

Stats don’t paint the whole picture as the Huskies struggled to move the ball against Kent State and Central Michigan at home. Despite those two teams being on the bottom of the division, the Huskies only defeated Kent State by three points and scored a meager 17 points in each game.

Danny Albers: Although Western Michigan has been able to put a lot of points on the board, it has also struggled to keep other teams from doing the very same. In a game where the Broncos hosted a struggling Ball State offense, they allowed 38 points and needed to get 42 points to pull away with the victory.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Toledo Rockets have had a consistent defensive showing in all their MAC games. Their most impressive win was when they held Central Michigan, the same offense that put up 34 points against NIU, to 28 points. Also, Toledo had a huge defensive statement in its game against the Broncos, holding them to 19 points.

RS: While Toledo did best the Broncos by one point in overtime, its two other conference wins have come against Central Michigan and a struggling Ball State.

To be fair, Toledo is 3-0 in the MAC, but records aren’t everything. Western Michigan beat defending MAC champions Bowling Green by 12 points in Bowling Green, Ohio, and held its strong offensive attack to just 14 points.

The Broncos and Huskies face off in the last game of the season at Western Michigan. Having that home field advantage could prove devastating for the Huskies.

DA: It is true that the Huskies will have a challenge on their hands when they square off with the Broncos the day after Thanksgiving. But, in all respect to what the Broncos have accomplished this year, that game will not matter for the Huskies if they can’t come up with a win against Toledo at home.

That game is prime time for a reason. It seems like every season it is between the Huskies and Toledo to see who is going to be in the MAC Championship game. That experience can prove to be an advantage for the Toledo team moving forward. The Broncos are hot right now, but they are a young team.

RS: True, but the Broncos will be hosting the Huskies at the tailend of the season. It gets pretty cold in Kalamazoo, Mich., late in November, and being away from its home fans won’t help matters for NIU.

Western Michigan will have a lot riding on this game after losing to Toledo. Both are tough football teams, and this game will likely decide who represents the MAC West in the MAC Championship game. I just think Western Michigan will have a lot more going for it in the final game of the season.

DA: Toledo coming into Huskie Stadium could prove to be an advantage for the Rockets. The Huskies will be under a lot of pressure and already failed to execute in that kind of environment at Homecoming. Also, Toledo is the better team so far and is determined to beat a Huskies team that has bested Toledo in the past five seasons to earn a spot in the MAC Championship game.