Saturday is a big day for NIU athletics, for more reasons than may be readily apparent.

Chances are that most people are aware of the implications that the football team’s game against Temple will have on the look of the MAC this season. I shouldn’t have to beg people to come out to see what could easily be a preview of the MAC Championship game.

At 3 p.m, well after the final buzzer will have rung from inside Huskie Stadium, a game just as significant will begin.

The NIU men’s soccer team will play No. 1 Akron after the football game wraps up.

Both of these NIU teams have an opportunity to capture their biggest wins of the year in the same day, on the same campus, about five minutes from each other. Football beats Temple, and all of a sudden the Huskies are sitting pretty in the race for the MAC West. Fútbol beats Akron, and you’ll have witnessed one of the best wins in NIU history. Akron is easily the best program in the game of college soccer today.

I shouldn’t really have to make any other argument. You should be saying to yourself, “Oh yeah, I guess that’d be a pretty cool way to spend my day.”

It’s not often that one school gets to face its two toughest opponents on the same day, but that’s exactly the opportunity the Huskies are going to be graced with this weekend.

And anyone who fancies themselves an NIU fan would be doing themselves a disservice by not catching both of these games.

So do yourself a favor: take it easy on the booze before the football game. Don’t get so drunk beforehand that you’ve got to “clear your head” by halftime and are out of commission by 2 p.m.

It’s rare to have the opportunity to see this much high-caliber competition in one day, let alone to have the opportunity to see it for free.

You owe it to yourself to see both of these games. You’d be cheating yourself if you didn’t.