MAC Championship Game 2018: 3 takeaways from NIU’s comeback win
By Zach Bigalke
1. MAC lives up to history of upsets in championship game
The MAC has a long history of the favorite falling in the conference championship game. Buffalo can now boast of being on both sides of the equation after Northern Illinois came back on Friday night. When the Bulls won a decade ago, they took down an undefeated Ball State team that was ranked No. 12 and on the cusp of a BCS invitation.
NIU can now boast the same thing, now that they have finally been the team coming back to win a game rather than the vanquished favorite. In the 2010 MAC championship game, the Huskies fell 26-21 to the Miami RedHawks as a 10-2 front-runner.
Three years later, Northern Illinois brought a perfect record to Detroit. A year earlier, the Huskies had taken down Kent State in a matchup of ranked MAC opponents that earned NIU an invitation to the Orange Bowl despite a season-opening loss to Iowa. A year later, the Huskies were undefeated heading into the title game when Bowling Green cut them down to size in a 47-27 defeat.
Next. A brief history of the conference championship game. dark
Now both sides can say they have tasted the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat in a MAC championship upset. With the win, the Huskies earn the conference crown. Both teams now await their final bowl destination, but only NIU will head into selection Sunday with momentum on their side.