*10* Coach's Clinic on Northern Illinois.


The Northern Illinois Huskies will take on the undefeated Toledo Rockets in a battle between two of the top teams in the MAC on Tuesday night. The Huskies have have been the dominant team in the MAC in recent seasons, and they come into the Glass Bowl as winners of five straight in this series. I'll take the Huskies as the underdog here in this one.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Huskies Running Game - Northern Illinois has averaged 51 points per game during a three game win streak, and they lead the MAC in rushing yards. Junior tailback Joel Bouagnon comes in ranked 3rd nationally with 14 rushing TDs.

2. Strength of Schedule - The Rockets have been rolling, but their four wins in conference play came against opponent's with a combined record of 4-14 against MAC opponents.

3. X-Factor - The Rockets defense didn't impress much in a win over UMASS last week, allowing the Minutemen to score 35 points. They trailed 28-10 at halftime in that game.

Selection: This is a play on the Northern Illinois Huskies (10*)