An important upset
Teams that want to be the best need to beat the best.
The top dog in the Mid-American Conference, for as long as most can remember, has been the Huskies of Northern Illinois.
It was a fact: NIU does not lose at home, especially to a MAC team.
Until Saturday.
A newly mentally and physically healthy Central Michigan football team steamrolled into DeKalb, Ill. and took down the four-time MAC West champs.
The Chippewas stunned thousands of fans and alumni that descended on NIU’s campus for it’s annual homecoming game.
After three consecutive losses, including a blowout at Toledo, Chippewas fans reached for the panic button.
Two consecutive wins later, things are looking up for a team heading to a very winnable home game against Ball State.
A lot changes over the course of a football season. The Chippewas are changing quickly before our eyes.
Two weeks ago, an upset against arguably the best team the conference seemed impossible.
Expectations were high for CMU entering the season. A downtrodden year for the MAC has produced tremendous opportunities for mid-range teams such as the Chippewas.
The victory showed just how vulnerable the conference is. Midway through the season, the MAC has no undefeated teams and each team has struggled to survive at least one game.
NIU might not be the cream of the cop in the conference anymore, but the Huskies remain the golden standard in the West Division, based on their history alone.
This conference is wide open. And CMU’s chances in it are very much alive.
The win over Purdue nearly a month ago was a statement about CMU’s legitimacy on the national stage.
Saturday’s win over NIU was a declaration of our validity in the conference.
We knew the Huskies would be down this year, but this was not supposed to happen to them. Not this way. Not to lowly “Central Michigan.”
The Chippewas were picked to finish fourth in the MAC West by experts.
Senior defensive tackle Leterrius Walton predicted the Chippewas would win a MAC Championship.
Looking back, critics did not see this coming.
This is so surprising that I’m not sure Walton did either.
