It couldn’t last forever. Admit it. If you thought the NIU football team was really going to go undefeated, you were nuts.

It’s just too hard to do – unless you’re Ohio State or Miami or something.

Don’t get me wrong, the chance was there. But actually getting it done is about taking advantage of those chances – something NIU did not do against BGSU.

But all is not lost. NIU only has one loss. One.

Again, no one thought NIU would have only one loss at this point of the season.

Before the year started, people were talking about maybe splitting the first four games. Just getting out with one win would have been acceptable.

But once NIU swept through the non-conference part of the season, people immediately began talking about an undefeated season.

Fair or not, the Huskies were going to be the poster boys for destroying the evil BCS empire and all that was wrong in college football.

Then came Bowling Green.

On national TV, NIU decided to play its worst game of the season, blowing a chance to prove the critics of NIU football wrong.

All they had to do was win.

With Toledo getting whipped by Ball State, the center of the MAC football world centered around a small Ohio town that doesn’t have a taxi service that’s open as long as the bars.

All eyes were on Doyt Perry Stadium, and all eyes saw NIU get waxed. Badly.

The game was never in doubt.

Josh Harris picked apart the NIU defense.

If not for Randee Drew intercepting two passes, it would have been worse.

But enough with the bad, already.

This team is different. With a little help from Miami-Ohio and Toledo, NIU still could make the MAC Championship game. Even if the Huskies don’t make the title game, but win the rest of their games, an 11-1 NIU team is a sexy pick for a bowl.

Despite the loss, the Huskies may be able to sneak in somewhere.

If there was ever a year that proved the MAC needs more than two bowl tie-ins, this is it.

With the exception of their game against each other next week, BGSU and Miami should both win the rest of their games.

BGSU probably will run the table in the West, and Miami should do the same in the East.

If it does, there will be only three combined losses between the two teams. The three combined losses of the teams in the title game will have come to Ohio State, Iowa and the loser of next Tuesday’s contest.

Not too shabby.

That’s where NIU comes in.

If all three teams win out – a big if – the MAC should have three teams ranked in the top 25 at the end of the season.

At three teams with only one loss, no other conference in the nation would be able to compare to the MAC.

So before calling it a season, remember all is not lost. The MAC has set itself up this year like no year in the past.

Three teams should get bowl bids from the MAC; how they will do there is yet to be seen.

But, they should have a shot. That’s all a team can ask for. Now, MAC teams, use it.