Despite a Bowling Green loss Thursday night, the NIU football team probably lost all chances for a post-season bowl game, NIU quarterback Josh Haldi said.

When Miami-Ohio beat the host Falcons in the MAC Championship Game on Thursday (see below), NIU optimists felt there was a chance the Huskies could get the Motor City Bowl. However, in spite of the Falcons’ loss, Bowling Green accepted an invitation to the Motor City Bowl after the game.

“It’s disappointing,” NIU junior quarterback Josh Haldi said. “That was probably our last shot. We thought since they didn’t offer Bowling Green after the [win over Toledo to secure the MAC West title] last week, we still had a shot. The bottom line is we are both deserving, but it’s just the problem of this conference.”

The MAC has only two bowl tie-ins. The GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., which Miami-Ohio will play in, and the Motor City Bowl in Detroit, Mich.

NIU finished the regular season with a 10-2 record with wins against three BCS teams. The Huskies’ losses came against Bowling Green on Oct. 25 and Toledo on Nov. 15.

“We are as deserving as Bowling Green, but they beat us and they beat some pretty good football teams,” Haldi said. “And Miami is probably playing as good as anybody in the country right now.

“It was a lot of fun and I had a good time this year. Hopefully we could get it done next year.”