There’s an old saying: Any publicity is good publicity.

The saying has me wondering how important a victory really is for the NIU football team this Saturday at Soldier Field against Iowa.

Sure, I’m sure no one affiliated with the team wants to see a loss, but realistically, what’s the worst that could happen?

This match-up with Iowa will serve as the third time in the last five years NIU has played a game at Soldier Field. The two previous contests resulted in losses: in 2007 to Iowa, and last season the 49-7 trouncing at the hands of Wisconsin.

Think about this, however. Obviously, it would have been a huge story if NIU would have beat Wisconsin and then went on to have the season they had.

On the other side of the coin, you take a team that lost three of its first five games, and goes on to win the remaining nine games of their season, capturing a conference championship and a bowl game victory.

While NIU is not a nationally renowned team, their presence is slowing leaking out into the national conscious, as they have received press for the fact that their program currently holds the longest winning streak in the nation going into this season.

The games at Soldier Field also serve as further increasing the chance for Illinois natives to get familiar with a program they may have never paid attention to.

Whether the team can match any level of success from last season remains to be seen, and we certainly will not know if they will, whether they win or lose this upcoming Saturday.

Which brings me back to my point. No matter what, this game does not break the team’s chance to be great or to be mediocre.

It does, however, break them into the mainstream just a little bit, tapping at the door of making this football program a bigger story than it ever has been before.