In what is dubbed by many the MAC game of the year, No. 15 football (9-0, 5-0 MAC) faces its toughest test this season when it hosts the Ball State Cardinals (9-1, 6-0 MAC) at 7 p.m. today at Huskie Stadium.

The Huskies enter the heavyweight bout winners of 20 successive regular-season games, 22 consecutive conference games and 24 straight home games. Much more than those streaks are on the line, as the winner will most likely represent the MAC West division in the MAC Championship game in December.

The Cardinals enter the Wednesday night matchup having won their last seven games. The lone blemish on Ball State’s resume is a 34-27 loss at the North Texas Mean Green (7-3, 5-1 C-USA) Sept. 14. In the loss, the Cardinals uncharacteristically turned the ball over five times.

The Huskies, who have the No. 7 scoring offense (44.2) in the nation, face a Ball State offense that is nearly as dangerous. The Cardinals, led by senior quarterback Keith Wenning, own the No. 14 scoring offense (39.9) in the country.

Wenning has thrown for the fourth-most yards (3,164) in the Football Bowl Subdivision, has completed 62.9 percent of his passes and has tossed 27 touchdowns compared to only five interceptions. Known more as a pocket passer, he has rushed 37 times for 36 net yards but does have four rushing touchdowns.

“He’s one of the best players in the MAC,” said redshirt senior quarterback Jordan Lynch. “He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country. My hat’s off to him. I have a lot of respect for him.”

While Ball State is mostly talked about for its passing offense directed by Wenning, it also features one of the better running backs in the conference in junior Jahwan Edwards and a very respectable defense.

Edwards is seventh in the MAC with 93.6 rushing yards per game and is tied with Lynch for the most rushing touchdowns (12) in the conference. In the MAC, the Cardinals have the No. 4 scoring defense (23.6), the No. 7 total defense (419.9) and are second with a plus-10 turnover margin.

“Their defense is really good,” Lynch said. “They’re a great group of kids. They’re fast, they’re physical and they’re well-coached. They play hard.”

The Huskies have posted their two best scoring outputs in the last two games — 59 points and 63 points, respectively — but they did so against two inferior opponents. The stalwart offensive line, which has given up only five sacks this season, will see some changes.

The NIU offense will be without the services of left tackle Tyler Loos, who broke his left leg and dislocated his ankle in the last game. Moving from right tackle to replace Loos will be redshirt junior Ryan Brown, and starting at right tackle will be redshirt senior Matt Krempel.

“Last year when Tyler broke his leg in the Toledo game, those two played the Eastern [game], the MAC Championship and the bowl game, and they played every snap,” said head coach Rod Carey. “They have a good repertoire. I have good confidence in those guys. They’ve played a lot of football around here.”

But despite a MAC Championship Game berth and potential BCS bowl berth on the line in addition to a number of streaks, the Huskies know they have to come out and play their brand of football, which they have done successfully so far this season.

“I don’t think we have to do anything out of the ordinary,” Lynch said in a news release. “We just have to be ourselves going into this game. We have a lot of talent. We just need to focus on this next game without getting too far ahead.”