San Diego State and Northern Illinois square off on Saturday night in a Group of Five knockout game. Here are three bold predictions for the showdown.
San Diego State has been punishing opponents throughout September, rolling to a 4-0 record that includes wins over two Pac-12 schools. Their toughest test actually came last weekend, when the Aztecs narrowly escaped Colorado Springs with a 28-24 victory over Air Force.
Now they face another deceptively strong opponent in Week 5 as Northern Illinois visits Qualcomm Stadium for a Saturday showdown under the lights. The Huskies already have one major upset after taking down Nebraska a few weeks ago, and NIU now has pretensions of returning to the top of the MAC in 2017.
A win over San Diego State would position Northern Illinois as an instant contender both in their own conference and in the Group of Five battle for the automatic bid into a New Year’s Six bowl. They bring a solid defense to California, as well as the muscle memory of knocking off favored opponents on the road.
Will the Aztecs survive the showdown of Group of Five heavyweights, or will the Huskies pull off the upset as 10-point underdogs on Saturday? Read ahead for three bold predictions about how the San Diego State-Northern Illinois battle will transpire in one of the last games of Week 5.