1. NIU To The Big 12? Let’s Make It Happen
by Israel Rivera
For years The Northern Illinois Football program has been the top dog of the Mid-American Conference.
When building a successful mid major program in the MAC most teams look at NIU for the blueprint. Other
teams have had their years like Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Toledo, and Western Michigan, but none
have had the success that Northern Illinois has had in recent years.
Recent success for The Huskies starts with 1. Being the most successful program in the state of Illinois since
the 21st century, 2. Since 2010 Northern Illinois 51 wins have been the second among FBS schools behind
Oregon and Alabama and ahead of LSU, Boise State, and Oklahoma, 3. In the 2012-2013 season these
Huskies were led by record setting quarterback Jordan Lynch (also a Heisman finalist the year after) to the
orange bowl against Florida State, a feat that no MAC school could pull off after decades of existence.
If this doesn’t tickle your fancy, than I don’t know what would. I do know this, that if Northern Illinois looks
to get the national respect it deserves it needs to expand to a bigger, better, more prominent conference
than the MAC. Northern Illinois has dominated the MAC for too long (2 MAC titles, 4 straight MAC west
titles, and a MAC-record 6 straight bowl appearances) to not have this respect from the big boys of college
football.
Listening to [NIU] Head Coach Rod Carey talk about how the MAC doesn’t get enough respect made me
think and the more I thought about it the more I realized how right he was. Playing in the MAC will never
get you respect from, top-level recruits, top-level Schools, and top-level students. The MAC is the bottom
feeder of college athletics, not to disapprove of their athletic and academic excellence, but MAC schools get
students and Athletes who are not good enough to play or perform at top-level schools and power
conferences.
Recently and in the past the MAC has had athletes who have gone on to the pros and have flourished, but
the number is ridiculously low compared to other conferences on a talented college football grid. When
your most talented recruit is three-star kid from the Midwest, that’s not doing or saying much when it
comes to competing with the big boys.
But the MAC plays it’s part in college football and for success stories like Northern Illinois, it gives
journalists like me to writes articles such as this, but if you all thought that this was just another article
about how poor the MAC is, your wrong. This is a preposition or an opinion at that, this is an article for
Northern Illinois alumni, administrators, athletes and students (future and present), this is an article for the
dreamers and possibly the people who are trendsetters; this is an article about relationships.
And there’s no better relationship for Northern Illinois than The Big 12.
I had to prelude my frustrations for why Northern Illinois is still in the Mac and now that I have gotten that
out the way, there is no place like home than the Big 12.
Let me give you this perspective and a very logical and fine one at that. Northern Illinois lies in a small
college town of DeKalb, Illinois surrounded by cornfields, which is roughly 66 miles away from Chicago.
NIU is part of the #3 ranked Chicago DMA (Designated Market Area), which consists of 3,534,080 TV homes.
An airwave from Chicago reaches roughly about 10 million people.
With TV deals being literally made and handed out to these big conferences, which reach multi-million
dollar plateaus, expanding the Big 12 back to 12 teams by adding your 11th in NIU would reach not only the
Chicago market, but also your Wisconsin TV market as well. This could mean a major deal with the Fox
Sports network and Northern Illinois.
Northern Illinois also fits in culturally and geographically to most Big 12 teams because it lies in the Corn
Belt. Northern Illinois [Dekalb, Illinois] has more in common with schools such as Iowa State, Kansas,
Kansas State, and Oklahoma than Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. This would make a transition to the Big 12 a
lot smoother for the Northern Illinois community as a whole.
Northern Illinois Defeats Rival Toledo 27-
24; Takes Over First Place Atop MAC West
Division
NIU To The Big 12? Let’s Make It Happen
Hare And The Huskies Run Past Miami
(OH) 51-41 In a Shootout At Huskie
Stadium
Central Michigan Defeats Northern
Illinois 34-17; Snaps Huskies FBS Leading
28-Game Winning Streak
Week 7 College Football Games To Watch,
Upset Alerts, & Players to watch
Northern Illinois Vs Central Michigan
 5 Comments  1348
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Hare And The Huskies Run Past
Miami (OH) 51-41 In a Shootout At
Huskie Stadium
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Northern Illinois Defeats Rival
Toledo 27-24; Takes Over First Place
Atop MAC West Division
Academically, Northern Illinois might be least favored among other Big 12 schools nationally, but Northern
Illinois isn’t far off either from competing with the big boys. Northern Illinois has a top business program, a
well-regarded law program, and a recognized engineering program in which the school’s alumni have
poured millions of dollars into these programs.
Look, if I haven’t convinced you yet Big 12 fans, maybe this last reason will. With Northern Illinois joining
the Big 12 you open up the Midwest region of Chicago, Wisconsin, Indiana, among others to Recruiting in
not only football, but all sports and I am definitely looking at you Big 12 Basketball; which has been one of
the weakest power conferences over the years in that regard.
Now I know there will be some pundits out there that will disagree with me and some that will agree, but
the Big 12 is sliding in both basketball and football; with the arrival of Northern Illinois and maybe a
Cincinnati or Louisville, the Big 12 could boost their conference back to where it was, where it used to be,
and that’s one of the best conferences in the nation.
Now in order for all of this to happen Northern Illinois has to improve their facilities not only academically
but athletically as well, expand the seating in Huskie Stadium for larger visiting crowds, and possibly raise
their academic standard. Northern Illinois Athletic Director Sean Frazier has seen the bright future of
Northern Illinois athletics and has taken a big step in the right direction by unveiling his “Master Plan” for
Northern Illinois. NIU President Doug Baker has also made strides in improving campus facilities and every
year there is a plan for improving Northern Illinois.
All in all this move could very well happen, if the Northern Illinois football program continues it’s winning
ways, they have a good non-conference schedule with quality opponents in the coming years and overall
has reached pinnacles where no MAC football program has gone. For both conference and school this could
be a great relationship for both, as well as a win win situation for the Big 12 and Northern Illinois.
AUTHOR
Israel Rivera
I am a senior at Northern Illinois University majoring in journalism. i have
experience in editing and writing and a great passion for sports.
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NIU Defeats Kent State 17-14; Extends FBS
Leading Home Winning streak to 28
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Warren G. Harding
The grammar in this article sort of betrayed the sentiment being expressed. Either proofread
better or remove the part at the end about how you're an NIU student. I counted 5 significant
grammatical errors in the following excerpt....
"But the MAC plays it’s part in college football and for success stories like Northern Illinois, it
gives journalists like me to writes articles such as this, but if you all thought that this was just
another article about how poor the MAC is, your wrong."
Interesting thoughts though.
Reply · Like · November 10, 2014 at 6:40am
Doug Gaffney · Director of North America Consulting at Hybris Software
Israel - great post. I have spoken to my friends and family about this for over a year now. I can't
see a match that would make more sense for both NIU and the Big 12. In fact I am shocked it
has not already happened. Opening up the Big 12 to the MAJOR Chicago market that has
always followed the (bad) Big 10 and is expanding further east (Maryland, Rutgers) would be a
major $$$ bonanza for the conference. Hello Big 12 - NIU vs Oklahoma, Iowa State or Texas at
Soldier Field? My first response to the new athletic plan was hope that these are part of the
master plan to meet the Big 12 requirements. You are 100% spot on with this thinking.
Reply · Like · November 6, 2014 at 6:37pm
Todd Johnson · Top Commenter · President at DVD Rewinders, INC
You could try that out, but the MW is going to help fill that void -- along with the AAC with what
the ACC doesn't grab from them.
I think it'd be a good goal to AIM for that -- to move your program toward that... and if in a few
years there's an opening, and your fan base has doubled in the new stadium? (Instead of 16k on
a ho-hum day, you get 32k) -- go for it.
You may instead be in position though of joining the MW or AAC -- which would be a bit of a
step up (sheds the "MAC gets no respect" mantra at least). And then if the BIG12 years after
THAT wanted to expand to 14 instead of 12, then maybe you could join then down the line.
Reply · Like · November 5, 2014 at 4:35pm
Doug Gaffney · Director of North America Consulting at Hybris Software
Todd: it's a chicken vs egg debate. I was at Northwestern earlier this year where
2/3rds of the crowd was NIU. I've been at Soldier Field vs Iowa when it was a sell
out. It's all about $$ - not only butts in seats but TV ratings - a MW team will not get
the ratings and conference publicity that you can get in Chicago. Maryland and
Rutgers are not exciting Big 10 pickups - but look at the market they are in - that's
why they did it.
Reply · Like · November 6, 2014 at 6:54pm
Todd Johnson · Top Commenter · President at DVD Rewinders, INC
*Edit: You're making the Huskies look bad before the game. Don't jinx it. Read the two
sentences you wrote under "Author" -- ironically about experience in writing and editing. Notice
something that needs to be capitalized? :)
Reply · Like · November 5, 2014 at 4:48pm
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