Whether you’re piling your life into the back of a minivan and making the move to NIU for the first time, or coming back to good old, familiar DeKalb, there has never been a better time to jump on the Huskie sports fan bandwagon than this fall.

And if “everybody’s doing it” isn’t a good enough reason for you to break the studying monotony and head out to enjoy some sports action this year, then read on for all the reasoning you’ll need.

In the last three seasons, NIU has skyrocketed its way into becoming a feared football power. In their last three nationally-spotlighted seasons, the Huskies have produced a 27-9 record and snagged surprise wins against big-name schools like Wake Forest, Maryland, Alabama and Iowa State.

Last year the Huskies beat MAC rival Bowling Green in front of a sellout home crowd and ESPN2 audience. They also won their first postseason bowl game since 1983 by beating Troy in the Silicon Valley Football Classic.

This fall, the Huskies ride the fervor of last season and return their top offensive star, junior running back Garrett Wolfe. To top that off, Huskie football games can now be heard in 37 states through broadcasts from Chicago’s WSCR 670 AM “The Score.”

Huskie Stadium drew more fans than any other MAC school last season, perhaps because NIU has lost only three games at home in the last three seasons.

The Huskies kick off their season in Ann Arbor to face one of college football’s most celebrated programs: Michigan. The season opener will be televised on ABC at the Wolverines’ massive stadium, nicknamed “The Big House,” which holds over 100,000 fans.

But the excitement doesn’t end with football. The NIU men’s basketball team returns all but one player from last year’s roster, including All-MAC honorable mention guard Mike McKinney. Women’s basketball will lose only two players from its roster, and will be led by first-year coach, Carol Owens, who was the top assistant at Notre Dame after coaching for 10 years with the Fighting Irish. The team will also return one of the MAC’s top guards in junior Stephanie Raymond, who was named to the Third-team All-MAC squad last season.

New, summer-hired coaches for NIU’s wrestling, volleyball and women’s soccer will make their respective seasons equally interesting.

The bad news? Now that you’re probably anxious to get started in your Huskie fandom, you’ll have to quell your inkling to get out and cheer, at least until the games begin.