:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/20369143/20130928_kkt_bl4_461.0.jpg)
The updated college football rankings for Week 6 came out earlier today, and for the first time this season the Mid-American conference has a team in the Top 25 of a major poll. The Northern Illinois Huskies (4-0), fresh off a 55-24 drubbing of the Purdue Boilermakers, have cracked The USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25 at No. 23.
The Huskies were 30th in The Coaches Poll a week ago, with just 21 votes, but jumped after starting the season 4-0, including beating two B1G Ten teams on the road. The Coaches Poll is one of the rankings used in determining the BCS Standings. In 2012 NIU peaked at No. 15 in the BCS Standings, earning a spot in The Orange Bowl. In 2012, the Huskies didn't crack the Top 25 in any major poll until Week 13, with Ohio becoming the first MAC team to be ranked in the Top 25 at No. 25 in the Week 8 AP Poll.
The other major poll released today, The AP Poll, which doesn't count towards the BCS Standings, has the Huskies just outside the Top 25 at No. 26 with 104 votes.
With games against Kent St., Akron, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and UMass over the next five weeks, NIU should continue to climb in the rankings as it's unlikely any of those teams can beat the dominate Huskies.
The complete USA Today Coaches Poll can be seen here:
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (59) | 4-0 | 1546 | 1 |
| 2 | Oregon (2) | 4-0 | 1479 | 2 |
| 3 | Ohio St. | 5-0 | 1397 | 3 |
| 4 | Clemson (1) | 4-0 | 1352 | 4 |
| 5 | Stanford | 4-0 | 1325 | 5 |
| 6 | Georgia | 3-1 | 1148 | 10 |
| 7 | Louisville | 4-0 | 1147 | 7 |
| 8 | Florida St. | 4-0 | 1129 | 8 |
| 9 | Texas A&M | 4-1 | 1072 | 9 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 4-0 | 964 | 12 |
| 11 | LSU | 4-1 | 931 | 6 |
| 12 | South Carolina | 3-1 | 860 | 13 |
| 13 | UCLA | 3-0 | 812 | 14 |
| 14 | Miami | 4-0 | 727 | 15 |
| 15 | Northwestern | 4-0 | 620 | 16 |
| 16 | Baylor | 3-0 | 573 | 18 |
| 17 | Michigan | 4-0 | 546 | 17 |
| 18 | Washington | 4-0 | 545 | 20 |
| 19 | Florida | 3-1 | 515 | 19 |
| 20 | Oklahoma St. | 3-1 | 330 | 11 |
| 21 | Fresno St. | 4-0 | 270 | 23 |
| 22 | Texas Tech | 4-0 | 231 | 25 |
| 23 | Northern Illinois | 4-0 | 131 | NR |
| 24 | Arizona St. | 3-1 | 118 | NR |
| 25 | Nebraska | 3-1 | 71 | NR |