2021 Mid-American Conference Football Championship Game Coverage: Kent State vs. Northern Illinois

It’s that time of year once again, as MAC fans make the trek to the Motor City to witness the rematch between the Kent State Golden Flashes (7-5, 5-3 MAC) and the Northern Illinois Huskies (8-4, 6-2 MAC), after they did battle earlier in the season.

It’s rare that you get a intra-division conference game rematch, but this particular one could prove to be entertaining, as these two teams put on quite the show earlier in the season, with Kent State giving NIU one of their two league losses by a final margin of 52-47 at Dix Stadium.

Kent State and NIU will also be meeting in the title game for the first time since 2012, when the Flashes entered the game ranked #17 in the Associated Press poll. NIU, led by Jordan Lynch, would pull off the upset in two overtimes to win the MAC title. It was the game which ultimately propelled NIU to their historic 2013 Orange Bowl appearance— and accelerated the changeover to the College Football Playoff.

There’s plenty of intrigue to be had, and we hope you’ll join us for the ride by checking in with our coverage through this story stream all week!