NIU football certainly got a little more interesting in the last couple of weeks.

Cruising to a 4-0 record, the team was ranked for the first time in school history and had only two major injuries, the latter turning out to be the most important.

Two weeks and two wins later, the team now is ranked No. 12 in the nation, the highest school ranking ever.

The Huskies are ranked in front of the likes of Nebraska, Notre Dame and Florida.

When was the last time that happened?

One step at a time.

When was the last time NIU was ranked ahead of any of them?

Back to the injuries.

NIU experienced the same problems last season, with a career-ending heart condition to running back Thomas Hammock and a season-ending injury to P.J. Fleck.

All-MAC performer Vince Thompson missed games, and defensive backfield mate Lionel Hickenbottom missed most of the season with a knee injury.

Michael Turner even missed half of the Western Michigan game.

But that team didn’t have what this team does:

A national ranking and an undefeated record.

A chance to bring coach Joe Novak his first bowl berth as a head coach.

A chance to give the school its first bowl berth since the majority of the student body was in diapers.

A chance to be the team that proved the BCS isn’t fair.

No big deal.

Now, the team has been rocked by injuries.

All-MAC linebacker Nick Duffy likely is out for the year.

Wide receiver Dan Sheldon is also done for the year.

Travis Moore still is nursing an ankle injury.

These are three of the best players at their respective positions in the conference.

Next week, a capacity crowd will watch the new Huskies, a group of talented players with loads of potential and not nearly as much game experience.

Linebacker (and Nick Duffy substitute) Jason Hawkins has been a special teams all-star for two years.

Now Hawkins steps into the middle of one of the most aggressive defenses in the conference.

With Moore and Jason Frank out for next week and probably the week after that, Vinson Reynolds needs to be the best defensive end in the conference.

Ken West, you’ve got to help on the ends too.

This is nothing new to these players.

It’s nothing the coaches haven’t already told them.

These are not the only players, but they certainly are going to be the focus.

Next week when Western Michigan comes to town, the nation will see just how good this team is.

Be patient early; even the starters have been starting slow.

But with much of the firepower gone on both sides of the ball, will the Huskies be able to get down and crawl out as they’ve done in all six games this season?

They are the 12th best team in the country.

Regardless, it should be interesting.