For the 1st time in their football program, the NIU Huskies will play on January 1st in a BCS bowl game as they will face Florida State from the ACC in the Discover Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.
NIU got a chance to be 1 of the top 16 teams in the BCS standings following last Friday night's win over Kent State 44-37 in double overtime to claim their 2nd straight MAC Championship.
The Huskies finished with a (12-1) record and a 16th ranking in both the Associated Press and USA Today Polls. They were 15th in the BCS standings.
Offensive Coordinator Rod Carey has also been named the new Head Football Coach at NIU. He replaces Dave Doeren who is the new Head Coach at North Carolina State.
Carey has been the offensive coordinator for NIU after the 1st game as Mike Dubar left the team due to health reasons. He was the offensive line coach last season.
Carey has also been an assistant coach at the University of North Dakota, Illinois State University, along with the University of Wisconsin-Stout. He began his coaching career at the University of Minnesota.
The University will offer free tickets to NIU students who want to attend the Discover Orange Bowl game. Information about the game for area fans will be available on NIU's "Bowl Central" website today.
Florida State comes into the game with an (11-2) record and champions of the ACC.
