De-troit, De-troit, De-troit …

The crowd at Huskie Stadium chanted the city’s name over and over at the end of NIU’s win over Western Michigan Wednesday.

And yes, when the final siren sounded it was official. For the first time in NIU’s history, the Huskies are heading to Ford Field for the MAC Championship, to be played at 6:40 p.m. Thursday.

Meeting the Huskies in Detroit is a familiar face, one many players want another crack at.

Back on Sept. 24, Akron pulled what looked like an upset overtime victory over NIU.

Akron quarterback Luke Getsy passed for five touchdowns to rack up an early lead. The Zips’ defense held the Huskie rushing attack, which had been averaging 261.67 yards per game, to 50 yards.

After Wednesday’s game, NIU did not know who it would face in the championship.

But everyone agreed they would like to see Akron.

“If it is Akron,” said NIU coach Joe Novak, “we owe them one.”

NIU center Brian Van Acker sided with his coach. Every player – with what happened in the previous meeting – has a little sweet spot for another chance at Akron.

But there’s more at stake than a little revenge. The winner of the MAC Championship not only is crowned MAC Champion, but also is the only team in the conference guaranteed a bowl game.

The MAC has ties with the GMAC Bowl and the Motor City Bowl.

The GMAC Bowl gets to choose who it wants first. It can pick any bowl-eligible team from either the MAC or the WAC, and the team chosen will play the runner-up from Conference USA on Dec. 21 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

If the MAC champion is not selected for that bowl, it automatically goes to the Motor City Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit against a Big Ten team Dec. 26.

By winning Wednesday, the Huskies extended the season for one more game, and they’re hoping to make it two.

So Detroit may not be everyone’s dream vacation spot, but for the Huskies, it’s exactly where they want to be.