After hype and buildup over the last couple weeks, the Huskies are set for their biggest game of the season. Football (9-0, 5-0 MAC) will host Ball State (9-1, 6-0 MAC) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a game that will have serious implications for the season to come.

With both teams coming into the game undefeated in the MAC, this single showdown at Huskie Stadium could decide who will represent the MAC West in the MAC Championship game.

Football writers Brian Earle and Frank Gogola debate how much trouble the Ball State Cardinals will be for the Huskies.

Brian Earle: In my opinion, Ball State will be the Huskies’ toughest regular season opponent. I say that based solely on the passing threat the Cardinals present.

Senior quarterback Keith Wenning has been one of the best quarterbacks in college football this season. Wenning has thrown for the fourth-most yards in the nation with 3,164. He has also thrown for the fourth-most touchdowns in the nation with 27. He has done all of this while taking good care of the ball, throwing just five interceptions on the season.

Frank Gogola: I agree the Cardinals will be the Huskies’ toughest test to date, but they still don’t scare me enough to be overly concerned about this game. Overall, I was not that impressed with Ball State’s performance last week against the Central Michigan Chippewas; I thought their offensive line got pushed around a bit and expected to see more from a potential challenger to NIU’s undefeated season. They defeated a Chippewa team at home by 20 points (44-24) while the Huskies went on the road and defeated the Chippewas by 21 points (38-17) about a month ago. But yes, Wenning has been one of the better quarterbacks in the country this season, but a lot of his success against NIU will depend on his receivers stepping up.

BE: In all my talk about Wenning’s ability to throw the ball, I didn’t even mention who was on the receiving end. Junior wide receiver Willie Snead has been Wenning’s go-to target all season long. He makes big play after big play for the Cardinals, as Wenning can just throw the ball up and Snead will most often come down with it. Snead has the third-most receiving yards in the nation with 1,175 and is tied with Texas A&M’s Mike Evans for the third-most receiving touchdowns with 12. Snead will present problems all night long for the Huskies’ secondary, just as he does with every team he faces.

FG: Yes, Wenning does have a standout wide receiver in Snead, but a lot of a quarterback’s success, as evidenced by Jordan Lynch and NIU, is also the offensive line’s ability to block and afford the quarterback time. Ball State does have some scary weapons on offense, but they will not be able to touch the ball if Wenning does not have time to deliver it. After they gave up two sacks last week to a CMU team that is only seventh in the MAC in sacks (17), they are now tied for sixth in the conference with 13 sacks allowed. Added to that, NIU has been able to sack opposing quarterbacks 26 times, which is fourth-best in the MAC; Buffalo is first with 28.

BE: I realize how important pass protection is, but with how good Ball State’s passing attack is, it doesn’t help that NIU’s pass defense is one of the worst in the nation. In the MAC, NIU is dead last in pass defense and gives up an average of 271.6 passing yards per game while surrendering 18 passing touchdowns. If the Huskies are not on their A-game, Wenning will have a field day and throw the ball over the field against this secondary. The positive of the NIU secondary is its ability to create takeaways, as it is tied with Buffalo for the most interceptions in the MAC with 13. I just wonder if they will be able to force takeaways against someone like Wenning who takes very good care of the football.

FG: Yes, Wenning does take very good care of the ball, but this veteran Huskie secondary should know how to handle a guy like Wenning, especially with the added preparation time. The Huskies do give up a lot of passing yards, but their secondary has shown the ability to force turnovers, recording four multiple-interception games this season. Arguably the toughest quarterback NIU faced this season, and the one who Wenning most reminds me of, is Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garoppolo, a potential NFL quarterback. They did allow Garoppolo to toss six TDs but picked him off twice and sacked him five times. With two highly lauded quarterbacks, Wenning for his pocket passing and Lynch for his dual-threat ability, this game, and the chance to potentially represent the MAC West in the MAC Championship Game, will most likely be decided by the guy who steps up and dominates the opposing defense the most.