Northern Illinois Receives Vote in AP Top 25

The Associated Press college football Top 25 came out today, and one familiar face can be found at the very bottom of the poll.

Northern Illinois, which finished the 2011 season just outside the Top 25, received one No. 25 vote, leaving it tied for 41st along with Houston, Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State.

The vote came from Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Also noteworthy in his poll was that he listed overall No. 1 USC at sixth.

So what this all mean? Not much, probably. A single loss would likely get Miller to abandon his love for the Huskies. However, it’s much easier to move up in the poll with even a single vote to start the season than it is starting with zero.