Every year, there’s a time where sports hits its low point and it seems like there’s nothing around to keep an eye on.

It may come at different times for different locations across the country. Two weeks before the most anonymous Super Bowl in NFL history, that time of year has just hit DeKalb.

There simply is nothing to root for out here. Our professional sports teams are pathetic. The Bulls are on the verge of blowing up again; the Bears are headed toward their annual mid-level draft pick; baseball is still a few months away; and I couldn’t even tell you what the Blackhawks are doing right now.

Times like this would be perfect for us to be rooting for our NIU Huskies, but so far they’ve given us little to root for. The wrestling team is off to a pretty good start to the season, yes, but casual NIU fans only pay attention to basketball – and neither team is delivering.

Both teams are below .500, and right now, the only way it looks like the Huskies will make it to the Big Dance is to win their conference tournament. And if that’s the case, what is the point of even following the team until the beginning of March?

As an NIU fan, the only thing left to root for is how our football players do in their upcoming postseason games and where they’ll possibly play next year.

At times like this, you have to try different things to keep yourself busy. In case you’re unsure of how to keep busy until things pick up, I’ve come up with a few sports “mini-games” to get your fix until your real interests start flowing again.

1. Play online Madden 2004. Online Madden is extremely addictive and it gives you all the highs and lows of a real football game.

2. NBA League Pass. It’s kind of expensive, but you probably can order half the season now and you get every game across the country. Nothing is better than watching a late-night Warriors-Heat game.

3. Pick another college basketball team to follow. Make sure to pick one from a major conference and watch it over the coming weeks. If NIU can’t get it done, maybe Louisville or Connecticut will.

4. Go to the Student Recreation Center. It’s incredibly busy, so busy that I thought about not even including it in the list. But when you do get in on a basketball or volleyball game, you definitely have a good time.

Hopefully, one of those four will keep you busy until March, when things pick up again. If not, you can always try schoolwork, although I can’t say it made my list.