There is a lot in common between predicting the stock market and sports.

What? Don’t believe me? Look at the similarities.

The two have thousands of analysts paid to research their respective fields. Both have sections dedicated to them in the newspaper.

However, the area of greatest commonality is the element of confidence.

Yes, confidence of those predicting is what fuels the speculation on stocks and preseason picks.

For example, if there’s confidence in a company because of good profits, an increasing market or other factors, people buy into a stock. If that company loses the market’s confidence, it can fall like hair metal on the Billboard chart after the release of Nirvana’s “Nevermind.”

The same holds true for sports. If a team has a dark-horse Heisman candidate, a couple of All-American hopefuls and a strong supporting cast, the media will buy.

But lose a 1928-yard rusher, a 300-plus-pound lineman and some other key players, and the media will jump off the bandwagon, even if it’s still moving.

That’s exactly what has happened with NIU football.

One year removed from a predicted first-place finish in the MAC West, NIU is now expected to end the 2007 season behind WMU, Central Michigan, Toledo and Ball State.

That’s what we like to call a “short squeeze” in stock terms.

In all honesty, how much faith can we place in the predictions of the MAC News Media Association? Lucky for Huskie fans, the art of sports prediction, like that of stock predicting, isn’t a perfect science.

For example, sometimes the analyst low balls NIU. That’s the time when fans should buy heavily into the Huskies, of course.

Back in 2002, these analysts thought NIU would finish fourth in the MAC West. The Huskies tied for first that year.

However, sometimes the same analyst can overvalue NIU stock. That’s what happened last season, when Huskies were selected to win the MAC Championship but failed to make it because they finished third in the West.

Overall, in the last seven tries prior to this season, the analysts have only gotten it right for NIU once.

There’s even better news than that. In the past seven attempts, every time the analysts have picked NIU below first in the West, they have finished at least second. Four times, the Huskies ended the year in first.

Don’t start saying, “Wait till next year,” yet. Every team is 0-0 and we’ve got 12 games to figure out who is going to Detroit.