On Nov. 25, 2006, NIU Athletic Director Jim Phillips stood in the corner of the media room in the Convocation Center.

His eyes focused on a small TV playing college football.

Phillips, along with the rest of the media, waited for then-NIU men’s basketball coach Rob Judson’s press conference. The Huskies had just won their home opener against Duquesne.

However, the assembled media was drawn away from the ensuing press conference. The group joined Phillips in watching the non-high definition box rather than examining the score of an 85-74 NIU victory.

The other TV was on ESPN2 — the game was No. 12-Boise State against Nevada.

Phillips and the crowd knew a Broncos’ perfect season gave the Huskies a chance for postseason play. The day before, NIU had won its seventh game of the season against a 1-11 Eastern Michigan.

That seventh victory came Nov. 24, 2006.

What a difference a year makes.

This year, there was no crowd around a TV. There was no men’s basketball victory to talk of. And there was no mention of bowl games as the Huskies’ season came to a close.

Instead, Ball State’s name was synonymous with postseason play. The Cardinals had just won their seventh game of the season against NIU.

During the BSU (7-5, 5-2) press conference, coach Brady Hoke spent a majority of his time discussing postseason possibilities.

“I’m thinking about [a bowl game] a lot more now than we did,” Hoke said. “But I can’t do anything besides get a team ready to go and play the greatest game there is.”

Huskies head coach Joe Novak sang a different tune than Hoke.

Instead of discussing a possible bowl game or MAC championship birth, Novak talked of the past.

“These kids have accomplished a lot. Two bowl games and a MAC championship game,” the 12-year coach said of his senior class. “Certainly this year is a disappointment, but they’ve accomplished a lot while they were here.”

Novak’s post-game talk focused on the end of a long season. A season full of injury, close losses and disappointment.

Saturday seemed to embody the entire season. NIU’s leading running back Justin Anderson left the game in the first quarter. The 1,000-plus-yard rusher injured his PCL in his left knee.

The Huskies lost by six points to the Cardinals. It was the fifth time this season NIU lost to a team by seven or fewer points.

And disappointment filled the hearts of the 8,237 fans who sat in the cold. But even more so, disappointment was in the heart of the team.

As senior offensive lineman Chris Acevedo walked into the Yordon Center for the final time, he hung his head. Acevedo had tried to avoid this moment the entire season but was now forced to face it.

“I tried not to think about this game all year,” the senior said. “It’s over now. It’s kind of mixed emotions.”

What a difference a year makes.