This will be the matchup between two powerful mid-major programs that have had down years and will look to end the season on a winning note in the Poinsettia Bowl.
Boise in rebuild mode
It was a surely dissapointing regular season for Bryan Harsin and the Boise State Broncos. After years of dominanting the Mountain West Conference and winning the Fiesta Bowl last season, Boise State has regressed this year. In addition to losing to BYU in the dying seconds of the game, the Broncos have suffered bad losses to teams such as New Mexico and Air Force and were blown out by 26 to Utah State. They bounced back with a 40-23 win against San Jose State in their last game.
Much of their struggles is due to the fact that they lost their starting quarterback Ryan Finley due to injury. This caused Brett Rypien to be thrown into the fire and the freshman QB struggled at times. As a result, the offense sputtered due to that. However, Rypien will be more successful as time goes on but his play has to be a big concern for Boise State at the moment.
One thing the Broncos have going for them is the fact that running back Jeremy McNichols has stepped in nicely for Jay Ajayi after Ajayi went to the NFL. He has rushed for over 1200 yards and scored 18 touchdowns this season. Other than the blowout loss to Utah State, McNichols has scored in every game for Boise State so far. He has proven to be the workhorse in the Boise State offense. Look for the Broncos to pound the ball with him against NIU.
NIU trying to bounce back
It was another year and another MAC Championship game appearance for the NIU Huskies. It was Northern's sixth straight appearance in the championship game, a pretty impressive feat. It was the third straight for head coach Rod Carey and it is still baffling he hasn't left Northern for a coaching job at a bigger school.
Like Boise State, NIU also lost their starting quarterback as well. Drew Hare was playing good football before he tore his Achilles against Toledo. Hare has been a solid QB for Northern over the past two years and in his absence, the offense struggled. Because of the injuries, 4th string QB Tommy Fielder was forced to play in the MAC Championship game and NIU looked helpless in a 34-14 loss.
The one thing going for NIU is their defense which has been good for them this season. Against a Boise State offense that struggles from time to time, the defense could put a stamp on this game and make this a long game for Boise State.