CFB finalist’s only loss? NIU

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For Northern Illinois University football fans and alums like myself, 135 days was a long time ago. That was when the Huskies shocked the world of college football by upsetting Notre Dame, 16-14.

At the time, little did any of us realize the correlation between Sept. 7, 2024 and Jan. 20, 2025 and how much more national glory NIU would receive. As the final seconds ticked off and the stadium scoreboard in South Bend read NIU 16 Notre Dame 14, the only thing on our minds was immense pride for our school.

Flash forward to this week’s College Football Playoff championship game between Notre Dame and Ohio State. Besides a jam-packed Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, another 20 million TV viewers were anticipated for this battle between these two traditional powers.

Like ND and OSU, the Huskies are also Division I in football. That is where the comparison ends and rarely would they ever be mentioned in the same breath as ND and OSU.

But, in a scenario no one expected on Sept. 7, the NIU program is indeed mentioned in the same breath with the very best in the country. By making the CFP championship, Notre Dame’s 14-1 record has been magnified by the media in print, television and Internet.

That blemish on its record to an obscure school from DeKalb has piqued everyone’s interest. Who are these Huskies and how did they beat mighty Notre Dame?

Giving credit where credit is due, Irish coach Marcus Freeman freely admits that the NIU loss was the catalyst to reaching the championship game. It was a far different story 135 days ago.

That is when I walked into his press conference in the bowels of Notre Dame stadium following the NIU loss. A despondent Freeman looked like a man whose family pet died.

A week before, his team went on the road and knocked off nationally-ranked Texas A&M. Coming back home to face NIU, there was a genuine buzz in South Bend for the Irish.

Grilled by reporters after the demoralizing loss to NIU, he spoke about going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. Besides seeing his team’s chances for making the College Football Playoff suffer a severe blow, he also had a lot of explaining to do on how a 28-point favorite, like ND was, could lose to a team from the lowly Mid-American conference.

This wasn’t a fluke either. NIU physically dominated a more-talented opponent and also won the statistical battle. Any weaknesses Notre Dame had were completely exposed.

Mired in traffic trying to get out of town afterwards, I found plenty of entertainment value on local radio from irate ND fans. Complaint after complaint was registered on such an embarrassing performance to of all opponents – Northern Illinois University.

Those very same doomsayers who likely thought the Irish season was over after the loss have done a 180 and reveled in the playoff run to Atlanta for the championship game. I can guarantee that playing for a national title was not on their minds back in September.

In a postscript to that glorious day for lovers of NIU Huskie football, the team made an appearance in the following week’s national polls at No. 23. Coach Thomas Hammock was interviewed by major media outlets all over the country and one of the largest crowds in years came to DeKalb to cheer on the Huskies against the University of Buffalo.

Unfortunately, favored NIU lost that game and the one after that, finishing the year 8-5. The luster was gone, but Notre Dame was slowly climbing up from the scrap heap.

As the year progressed, more and more mention was made of their winning streak and the caveat of Northern Illinois University being the team that beat them. Fleeting fame lost after the Buffalo loss was returning to NIU with each ND win.

For it to continue, it was critical that no one else earned that dubious distinction of defeating ND. The Irish did their part by running roughshod on the rest of its regular-season schedule.

Earning a highly-coveted CFP spot gave Irish faithful relief and as long as they kept on winning, residual accolades would be directed towards NIU.

That’s what happened. In every Irish playoff game, NIU got numerous mentions in front of millions of college football viewers, reaching its apex Monday night against Ohio State.

A school like NIU will never reach the lofty status of Notre Dame. But, no one can ever deny the truth of what happened 135 days ago and how it got a new life this winter.

Or, in simpler terms, this from a Notre Dame fan: “It’s rare for an opponent to talk crap to us, but NIU has earned that right.”

Andy Colbert is a longtime Ogle County resident with years of experience covering sports and more for multiple area publications.