Is the NIU football team just treading water or are the Huskies on the verge of bowing out this season?

After dropping their opener to Iowa State and barely beating North Dakota, the MAC West favorite Huskies have had their share of problems so far.

The Northern Star’s Andrew Singer and Jimmy Johnson duke it out on whether NIU’s preseason hype was overblown.

Andrew Singer: I’ll be the first to admit that I was drinking more Huskie-Red Kool-aid than anyone else this summer. Two weeks into the season, though, I’m more than concerned where the 2010 season is heading. Getting owned by Iowa State and squeaking by North Dakota does not inspire confidence in me, Jimmy. The fear that this season is going to be eerily similar to last year’s is slowly starting to creep into the back of my head.

Jimmy Johnson: Step back from that ledge, my friend. It’s way too early to say this season is over. I’ve had my share of concerns as well, but there’s still a lot of football to be played. There’s a reason why this team was picked to win the MAC West, and I’m a firm believer that they’ll show up these next three weeks and walk away with a winning record from this three-game road trip.

AS: I can see the Huskies performing well in their conference schedule, playing against teams of comparable ability. Big Ten opponents though have the capability to dominate the Huskies with their athleticism alone. I’m not saying it definitely will happen, but NIU head coach Jerry Kill has said that there is no such thing as catching a team like Illinois in an off-year. They get off the bus every year with multiple players that have the ability to play in the NFL.

JJ: This Illinois team, along with Minnesota, are the worst of the worst Big Ten football has to offer. And it’s irrelevant that they have NFL-capable players because these kids are still playing on Saturdays. Illinois head coach Ron Zook’s record has dropped from nine to five to three wins in the last three seasons. This is indeed the perfect time for the Huskies to beat up on an Illinois team that is on a downward spiral.

AS: That was my sentiment heading into the season, but the unfortunate truth is that NIU still doesn’t have a quarterback. I don’t care how run-heavy the NIU attack is, the quarterback still has to complete some big passes to beat a Big Ten opponent. And I just don’t know at this point if Chandler Harnish can beat another Big Ten opponent and prove that beating Purdue wasn’t a fluke.

JJ: I am sure that this coaching staff has reminded the Huskies that last year’s victory against the Boilermakers doesn’t have anything to do with their matchup against Illinois. Regardless if Purdue was a fluke, which in my opinion it wasn’t, Illinois is a separate ball game. Sure, it’s crucial for Harnish to make plays with his arm, but the Huskies running backs and their defense will also need to show up as well.

AS: Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that NIU takes Saturday’s game. What then? The Huskies will still have to go against Minnesota and play MAC East favorite Temple. It leaves little room for error when the Huskies take on their opponents in the MAC West. A month ago, I had no problem with this schedule, but after two weeks of disappointing football, I have a hard time generating any sort of optimism going forward.