By Bobby Narang
The Northern Illinois University (NIU) football team took a pair of losses before the season even reached August.
The Huskies suffered a heavy financial loss and had two of their non-conference games dropped last week when the Big Ten Conference announced it was limiting all Fall sports competitions to only conference opponents.
The Huskies, under the direction of second-year head coach Thomas Hammock, were already facing tough odds to climb up the Mid-American Conference West Division ladder after losing numerous key players from last season’s team with a losing record.
So with their upcoming game at Maryland on September 12 and Iowa September 26 canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Huskies will take a heavy financial hit and lose two games to score a major upset and lose valuable preparation games for the conference season.
“Since March, we have had to remain nimble, adapt to changing circumstances and make contingencies to address all potential situations,” Northern Illinois athletic director Sean Frazier said in a statement. “We continue to do so following Thursday’s announcement by the Big Ten that impacts our 2020 football schedule.
“We all want college athletics to return this Fall, to have fans in the stands and to gather and compete. At this point, our staff is still preparing for games to take place at NIU this Fall.”
In addition, Northern Illinois announced it was moving its game with Brigham Young October 24 back to Huskie Stadium in DeKalb. The non-conference game was scheduled for SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, the former home of the Chicago Fire.
In total, the Huskies will now play six games in DeKalb and four road games. The Detroit Free Press revealed the Mid-American Conference school would lose more than $10.5 Million from not playing games against Big Ten teams in the Fall. The MAC lost 11 games from the Big Ten’s announcement.
“Our team and staff were looking forward to the opportunity to play the 2020 Huskie Chi-Town Showdown versus BYU at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview this October,” Frazier said in a statement. “COVID-19 has obviously brought about many changes for all of us, and we continue to adapt and make the best decisions possible for NIU, our student-athletes and fans. Thanks to the leadership of the City of Bridgeview and SeatGeek Stadium, who have continued to be great partners in this process. We hope to continue our relationship and will look for an opportunity to bring a game to SeatGeek Stadium in the future.”