This year, the Huskie football season may seem somewhat different from the past few seasons.

NIU was once one of the top teams in the MAC and played in bowl games. However, the Joe Novak era is over and NIU welcomes a brand new head coach, Jerry Kill, which may cause some changes.

NIU was picked to finish dead last in the MAC West at the annual MAC Media Day in Detroit. The prediction comes after NIU was picked to finish fifth at last season’s Media Day.

Novak didn’t exactly go out on top in his final season at the helm of the Huskies. After going to a bowl game in 2006, NIU suffered through an injury-plagued season in 2007, finishing 2-10 (1-6 MAC), last in the MAC West.

When asked about the poll at the team’s annual Media Day, Kill gave his thoughts.

“I don’t worry about it,” he said. “I don’t have time to worry about it. If you get better, it takes care of itself.”

Kill also added that in today’s world, it’s hard for a coach to use things like polls as motivation.

“Your players already know,” Kill said. “With the Internet and all that [stuff], I don’t have to tell them anything.”

NIU ranked No. 12 in the MAC in offense and No. 9 in defense in 2007. However, possibly the biggest problem for the 2007 team was their turnover margin, which was ranked last in the MAC.

Injuries also hurt the Huskies last fall, with more than 25 players missing at least one game due to injury. One of the players lost last season who figures to help the Huskies in 2008 was Montell Clanton. The running back said the players don’t really worry about preseason predictions.

“I don’t think we care about that,” Clanton said. “We know our talent and what we’re able to do. It’s just the point of us doing what we do in practice and perfecting that during game time.”