After finishing 10-3 last season in one of the toughest football conferences in Division I-A, Alabama wasn’t able to participate in a bowl game because of 11 major NCAA violations.

The majority of these violations involved paying recruits and high school coaches.

The Crimson Tide, which will host the Huskies at 6 p.m. Saturday in Alabama, also will be ineligible for a bowl over the next two seasons. ‘Bama also is ineligible to be ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, but can be ranked in The Associated Press Poll, where the team is No. 21.

NIU, on the other hand, is on the cusp of being ranked after tying for first place in the MAC West the past two seasons.

Huskie wide receiver P.J. Fleck said he thinks it’s unfair that Alabama’s players are unable to compete in a bowl despite the fact that most of the allegations took place before any of the current players arrived.

“That would frustrate me even more, because that had nothing to do with our team,” said Fleck, speaking from Alabama’s point of view. “Once you’re a player for the Crimson Tide or the Huskies, you’re that for life. You’re going to have to suffer consequences that other teams performed. It’s a horrible thing to happen like that and I wish it wasn’t like that, to tell you the truth, for them.”

Fleck and NIU coach Joe Novak each believe that Alabama’s tradition on the gridiron is something that, despite the allegations, can’t hurt recruiting too much.

“If it were some other places, it would probably hurt a heck of a lot more,” Novak said. “But being Alabama, one of the top – to me – five traditional college football powers, I think you can walk in there and say ‘I’m the coach from Alabama and I want to recruit you and we’re on probation for two years.’ It’s still Alabama, and Alabama kids want to play at Alabama. I’m sure it hurts them a little, but I’m sure in a lot of kids’ eyes, they just want to wear the Crimson of Alabama.”