The 2005 roller coaster season has come to an end for the NIU football team.

With the loss to Akron in the MAC Championship game Thursday, NIU’s chance of going to a bowl game was pretty much gone.

The two bowl tie-ins in the MAC had already been filled, with Toledo accepting a bid to the GMAC Bowl and Akron earning a spot in the Motor City Bowl with a 31-30 win over NIU in the MAC Championship.

The season officially came to an end after this season’s 28 bowl matchups were announced Sunday and NIU was not one of the 56 teams on the list.

NIU coach Joe Novak talked to his team Friday to wrap up the season.

Senior running back A.J. Harris saw the end before it came.

“I think we’re pretty much done,” he said Sunday before the bowls were announced. “Our chances for a bowl are very, very low, and to get one we’ll have to get lucky.”

The Huskies have seven starters who are now out of eligibility, including five first-team All-MAC performers in center Brian Van Acker, guard Ben Lueck, wide receiver Sam Hurd and safety Ray Smith.