Utah State vs. Northern Illinois

The Northern Illinois Huskies were on the verge of being a BCS buster for the second consecutive year, but this time they were beaten soundly by Bowling Green in the MAC Championship game. It would be logical for this team to be feeling the effects of a "disappointment Bow.l" So they may have a hard time delivering their focus and "A" game vs. a non BCS conference opponent in Utah State. We saw the aggressive Bowling Green defense disrupt the flow of the Huskies' offense in the MAC Championship game, and now they face an even bigger challenge from Utah State. The Aggies held their last six opponents to 12.5 points per game, including Colorado State who did not score, and held Fresno State to just 24, a team tat scored 35 or more in every regular season game. Utah State played a very difficult schedule, and lost QB Chuckie Keaton. They went with Harrison at QB and lost two straight. They then turned to Garretson, who stabilized the offense and led them to five straight wins. Utah State should be the motivated team here, and their defense will be the cog that gets them the win. Take Utah State.