With the Huskies’ 31-24 victory Wednesday night against Toledo, they have inspired the college football polls to give the team some national recognition.

For the first time since being ranked in 2010, the Huskies are back in The Associated Press Top-25 and USA Today polls.

The last time the Huskies were ranked was when they were No. 24 in The Associated Press Top-25 and No. 23 in the USA Today polls. They hit those numbers before heading into the MAC Championship game back in 2010.

At 10-1, riding a 10-game winning streak this season, the Huskies find themselves ranked No. 24 in The Associated Press Top-25 poll and No. 23 in the USA Today poll.

This is the only the 12th time in school history that NIU finds itself in the polls.

Coach Dave Doeren believes his Huskies are worthy of the national attention and deserve to be ranked.

“Absolutely. I think we should have been ranked last week,” Doeren said. “I think we’re a very good football team. I think when you have all the streaks we have it’s not a deal where you can say we’re a flash-in-the-pan program. And I think that’s what you have to do, you have to win, win, win and keep winning.

“And that’s what we’ve done. I think we deserve that attention, I think these players deserve that attention.”

Joining NIU in the polls is its MAC Championship opponent, Kent State.

While the Huskies earned 144 points in The Associated Press Top-25 poll, the Golden Flashes received 155 points to be ranked one spot ahead of the Huskies at No. 23.

Kent State is ranked No. 25 in the USA Today poll while receiving 86 points compared to the Huskies, who received 149 points.

With these two teams ranked, it marks the first time since 2003 that two teams from the MAC have been ranked at the same time.

If these two teams remain ranked heading into their matchup in the MAC Championship, it should make for a very entertaining game to determine the MAC.