The MAC Championship game has some extra incentive this season.
A BCS Bowl berth is on the table Friday night as the Kent State Golden Flashes take on the Northern Illinois Huskies in the MAC Championship game from Ford Field in Michigan.
Although the MAC conference does not have an automatic berth for its champion like the SEC, ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 do, since No. 17 Kent State and No. 21 Northern Illinois are ranked fairly high in the BCS, they have a chance to make it into the conversation.
If a team from a mid-major conference finishes in the top 16 of the rankings and is ahead of a champion from an automatic-qualifying conference, the mid-major will recieve the automatic bid.
Luckily for the MAC teams, the Big East has no school ranked in the BCS currently and many not have one rank higher after Louisville defeated Rutgers on Thursday night.
Kent State's second-year head coach Darrell Hazell has kept the BCS talk away from his players as they prepare for the game.
"I won't talk about that at all," Hazell said when asked about the BCS, according to the Associated Press. "I'll talk about Northern Illinois, that's the most important thing. If our guys don't focus on this game Friday then we have no opportunity to play in some of those big games. This is a huge, huge game for this university. There's going to be two good football teams on the field and it's going to be one of those games that comes down to the last few minutes."
Kent State is having the best season in school history and will play in a postseason game for the first time since the 1972 Tangerine Bowl after, according to the Associated Press.
The team opened with a 41-21 win over Towson to start the season, but fell the next week 47-14 to Kentucky. Following the loss, Kent State ripped off 10-straight wins, including an impressive 35-23 win at home over then-No 15. Rutgers.
Kent State has been explosive on offense this year, ranking 35th in the nation with 34.4 points per game. The team has scored at least 30 pints in all but three games this season, including a season-high 48 in a win against Miami (OH) on Nov. 10.
Quarterback Spencer Keith has been solid for the Golden Flashes this season, passing for 1,674 yards and 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The senior is completing 57 percent of his passes and threw for 170 yards and one touchdown in Kent State's 28-6 win against Ohio on Saturday.
Keith hasn't put up exceptional numbers this year, but has thrown touchdowns in each of the past three games. He has only passed for over 200 yards two times this season, including in the team's only loss on the road at Kentucky.
The running game has been the strength this season for the Golden Flashes, with both Dri Archer and Trayion Durham gaining over 1,000 yards each. Archer leads the team with 1,373 yards to Durham's 1,199, while both players are tied with 14 touchdowns.
Last season Kent State went 5-7 under first-year head coach Darrell Hazell and finished 4-4 in the MAC, third place in the East division. The team did not play in a bowl game last year.
Northern Illinois has been just as explosive as the Golden Flashes this season and also set a school record with 11 victories. The team is on a winning streak of 16-straight conference games and "is appearing in a third straight MAC championship, splitting the last two after scoring 23 unanswered second-half points to beat Ohio 23-20 in 2011," according to the Associated Press.
Last season the Huskies won the MAC title and is looking for a second-straight victory in the championship game under coach Dave Doeren.
"It means a lot to be a part of history," Doeren said. "Anytime you do something that has never been done, that's pretty special."
The Huskies have been extremely efficient on offense this season, largely due to the play of quarterback Jordan Lynch, who may have been a Heisman candidate if he was at a bigger school.
This year Lynch has passed for 2,750 yards and 23 touchdowns with just four interceptions while completing over 63 percent of his passes. He is also the team leader in rushing with 1,611 yards and a staggering 16 touchdowns. Lynch also "set an FBS record for a quarterback by rushing for at least 100 yards in 10 consecutive games," according to the Associated Press.
"We're excited," Lynch said. "We love the spotlight and the game is going to give us a chance to show what we can do."
Northern Illinois has one of the top-ranked defenses in the country and are only allowing 17.5 points per game. The team offers a strong matchup for Kent State and has been just as explosive on offense, averaging nearly 500 per game, including 245 rushing yards.
The Huskies are on a roll this year after losing their opening game against Iowa 18-17. The team has won 11-straight games, including a 63-0 win over UMass on Nov. 3. The team has scored at least 31 points in nine straight games and has allowed only 31 in the past three to opponents.
"The Huskies held the Flashes to 64 total yards in last season's 40-10 win Oct. 8, 2011, their fifth straight victory in the series," according to the Associated Press.
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