Kirk Herbstreit is trying to right the ship regarding his 2012 comments on NIU and the MAC.

The ESPN College GameDay analyst received backlash from Huskie nation after he declared on national television the decision to include NIU in the 2013 Discover Orange Bowl game was “an absolute joke to the rest of these teams who are more deserving.” Herbstreit tried to soften his blatantly derogative comments toward the Huskies in an Aug. 27 Chicago Tribune article, the article coming out just days before the team to took the field in its season-opening win against Presbyterian.

“The perception about how I feel about NIU and MAC football is completely misguided,” the ESPN analyst said, according to the article. “I have always respected Northern Illinois Football, going back to Joe Novak and what he [did] to get them on the map.

“I love the MAC, as well. Players that go there play with a chip on their shoulder because they are not quite tall enough or fast enough. I grew up respecting MAC football as much as the Big Ten. I still feel that way.”

The 2012 Huskies (12-1) were coming off their second consecutive MAC Championship and were the first team from the MAC to play in a BCS bowl game. The Huskies lost 31-10 to ACC powerhouse Florida State (11-2) in the Discover Orange Bowl. The Huskies had nothing to be ashamed of considering they put up a fight against Florida State, the team which won the national title this past college football season.

Herbstreit told the Chicago Tribune Huskie fans had taken his comments “too personally.”

“What I resented was the notion that I was not a fan of the ‘small guy,’” Herbstreit said. “But it’s the furthest thing from the truth.

“… Even though they had a great quarterback [Jordan Lynch], I didn’t think they were deserving of being in the top BCS Bowl game that year. Nothing personal, but that’s just the way I felt.”

Teams similar to NIU don’t pose as much of a threat to making the four-team playoff format starting this year. The teams will be chosen by a selection committee.

Herbstreit won’t win over many NIU fans with his comments, mostly because he still thinks the Huskies didn’t deserve to make a BCS bowl game in 2013. Opinions aside, Herbstreit offered high praise to an NIU football program that is playing unbelievably well at this time and definitely deserves national recognition.

Coming off their third consecutive victory against a Big Ten opponent in Northwestern this weekend, the Huskies will have a chance to prove themselves against the likes of Nevada-Las Vegas and Arkansas in the coming weeks.