Coach: Rod Carey

2013 record: 12-2

Top players to watch: LB Jamaal Bass (5-foot-10, 220 pounds, senior); G Aidan Conlon (6-3, 297, junior); FS Dechane Durante (6-2, 197, senior); OT Tyler Loos (6-5, 303, senior); LB Boomer Mays (6-0, 244, junior); DE Jason Meehan (6-1, 250, senior); C Andrew Ness (6-3, 296, junior); RB Cameron Stingily (6-1, 244, senior)

The outlook: NIU might not be the best team in the MAC this season, but this is the best program. The Huskies have won 46 games in the past four seasons, but they were lucky to have back-to-back star quarterbacks (Chandler Harnish, then Jordan Lynch). But Lynch is gone after finishing third in the Heisman race, and the defensive line also is a big question. NIU still is going to run the ball, with Stingily -- who ran for 1,119 yards last season -- taking on a much bigger role. He is a downhill runner who had barely played before emerging as a key player last season. The line is physical and experienced. Ness has a chance to be one of the nation's top five or six centers in 2015, while Loos has overcome knee injuries and a broken leg to become one of the best linemen in the MAC. Meehan led the team in sacks despite playing as a reserve last season and should be among the league leaders in that category this fall. Bass is undersized but runs extremely well, while Mays is physical and good against the run. Durante, though, is the defensive star; he was overshadowed by eventual first-round pick Jimmie Ward last season, but Durante will be in the spotlight this fall. He's not as talented as Ward, but he's a hard hitter who is expected to have a big season, then be drafted. The non-conference schedule includes road trips to Northwestern, UNLV and Arkansas, and it could take a while for NIU to adjust to life post-Lynch. But once MAC play starts, NIU might well be favored in every game. Back-to-back games against Ball State and Toledo in early November will determine which team wins the MAC West.