2013 Record: 12-2

2014 Las Vegas Season Win Total: 9.5*

2014 Season Win Total Prediction: 'Under'

Northern Illinois is a very interesting team. The Huskies went 12-2 last season and are pegged to win 9-10 games this year. But I am taking the 'under'. The Huskies lost some huge talent from last seasons campaign and they have a tough schedule at the start of the season. If things don't go well at the beginning of the year things could get a bit out of hand and this squad could finish 7-5.

Husky fans need to come to the realization that Jordan Lynch is gone. This is huge for backers of this team. Lynch accounted for nearly 5,000 yards of total offense with almost 50 touchdowns. Wow! The Huskies do have a talented pool of running backs, and wide receivers, along with a solid offensive line, but the buck stops at the QB position. If NIU can find a solid replacement for Lynch they do have the ability to win 10 games, but I just do see it happening.

Defensively the Huskies are in rebuild mode. NIU is having to replace all four defensive line starters and some major names in their secondary. Northern Illinois is moving pieces around in their secondary and they are going to rely entirely too much on their linebacking core. This is something that will come back to hurt them as they open up with a difficult slate, and they will have to face some solid offensive units in the MAC.

Another key to keep an eye on for the Huskies is the departure of kicker Matthew Sims. Northern Illinois looks as if they are going to go with a punter to handle all kicking duties, and that doesn't always pay dividends.

Starting the season with three of their first four games on the road, at Northwestern, UNLV, and Arkansas isn't great for a team looking to replace their QB. I'm not saying they are going to lose all three of those games, but you don't want to throw your new signal caller to the wolves. Look for this three game stretch to define the Huskies season.

2014 Northern Illinois Schedule

DATE OPPONENT TIME (ET) Location Result

Thu, Aug 28th, 2014 Presbyterian 07:00 PM Huskie Stadium

Sat, Sep 6th, 2014 @ Northwestern 03:30 PM Ryan Field Stadium

Sat, Sep 13th, 2014 @ UNLV 07:00 PM Sam Boyd Stadium

Sat, Sep 20th, 2014 @ Arkansas TBD Razorback Stadium

Sat, Oct 4th, 2014 Kent State TBD Huskie Stadium

Sat, Oct 11th, 2014 Central Michigan TBA Huskie Stadium

Sat, Oct 18th, 2014 Miami (OH) TBD Huskie Stadium

Sat, Oct 25th, 2014 @ E. Michigan TBD Rynearson Stadium

Wed, Nov 5th, 2014 @ Ball State 08:00 PM Scheumann Stadium

Tue, Nov 11th, 2014 Toledo 08:00 PM Huskie Stadium

Tue, Nov 18th, 2014 @ Ohio 08:00 PM Peden Stadium

Fri, Nov 28th, 2014 @ W. Michigan TBD Nippert Stadium

All Times EST

*Season Win Total Odds from Raphael Esparza. Esparza was a Las Vegas sportsbook manager for 13 years at some of the largest books on The Strip. He is a proven oddsmaker and this is his projected total.

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