UT-NIU is a rivalry with high stakes

It’s not Ohio State-Michigan or Alabama-Auburn. It’s not even Toledo-Bowling Green.

But the UT-Northern Illinois rivalry is exactly that — a rivalry.

Since 1999 — 23 meetings — the loser of the game has lost out on a division championship 13 times. By comparison, the loser of the OSU-Michigan game has had its conference or division championship hopes spoiled 10 times during the same period.

Toledo-Northern Illinois has turned into the most undervalued rivalry in college football. The latest chapter takes place at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Huskie Stadium.

“That’s our biggest rival. Every day, we’re competing against them,” Northern Illinois defensive tackle James Ester said about the Rockets.

“We know at the origins of the MAC, Toledo was the pinnacle. That was something all the other MAC teams were chasing. As time has gone on, obviously, we’ve been able to hold our own in that matchup and rivalry.”

For three decades, the Rockets and Huskies had an irrelevant, non-competitive series.

They first met in 1967, playing 26 times between then and 1998. Toledo won 20 of those games and actually had a 26-6 series lead over the first 32 games.

The meeting in 1999 was the first time Toledo-Northern Illinois took on added significance. A 44-14 UT victory prevented the Huskies from winning a share of their first MAC West championship. The Rockets spoiled potential division titles again in 2002, 2003, and 2004.

The 2004 game was a winner-take-all affair, with UT defeating Northern Illinois 31-17 in DeKalb and then going on to win the MAC championship.

“It’s really hard to take anything away from what’s 20 miles down the street,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said. “But you also have to understand that each one of these Mid-American Conference games on the West side is a monster game. I’ve described it like this to our team: You have to win the state of Michigan, and Ball State and Northern Illinois want to kill us, too. You have to be ready to go each week.

“Our guys obviously understand the meaning of this one. It’s really hard to go win there. Winning there, taking that trip, it’s a long bus trip, it’s a difficult deal against a good team. Our players understand the meaning of this and understand what’s at stake.”

Since 2005, the Huskies have defeated Toledo more often than any other team. In the past 17 meetings, Northern Illinois is 11-6 against the Rockets, costing them MAC West titles (or at least a share) in 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2021.

“If you look at it, these guys have kept us out of the MAC [championship game] since I’ve been here,” Toledo linebacker Dyontae Johnson said. “It’s always a loss here or there, and, nine times out of 10, it’s been to those guys. There’s definitely a different feeling in the locker room this week.”

Northern Illinois coach Thomas Hammock played for the Huskies from 1999 to 2002, with the Rockets winning all four seasons and preventing NIU from MAC West championships in 1999 and 2002.

Former coach Joe Novak instilled in Hammock and his teammates that Toledo was the target. Northern Illinois strived to become what the Rockets had built. Hammock furthered that narrative by naming the first drill of each practice the “Toledo Drill.”

For 365 days of the year, UT is at the forefront of what Northern Illinois does, not unlike Ohio State-Michigan and Alabama-Auburn.

“To me, that’s the ultimate sign of respect,” Hammock said. “You respect Toledo for who they are, what they are, and how they do things. It’s not bulletin board or locker room material. We have respect for their program.”

In the past, Northern Illinois has had a “Tuck Foledo” sign in its locker room and on the sideline.

Ester said the energy in practice is different during Toledo week because winning the MAC West while losing to the Rockets is almost an impossibility.

If Northern Illinois’ goal was to replicate UT’s dominance of yesteryear, it worked. The Huskies have become mainstays in Detroit, winning the MAC West in nine of the past 17 seasons and eight of the past 12, often at the expense of Toledo. NIU won MAC titles in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2021.

“The MAC West is a competitive league, but this game has more significance,” Hammock said. “What’s going to be the challenge that’s going to stop you or prohibit you from reaching your goals? For us, we feel like Toledo is going to be that challenge. That’s why we put so much emphasis on this game.”

The feeling is mutual.

“If we lose to them,” UT running back Micah Kelly said, “it’ll really impact our chances of going to the MAC championship. I see them as another stepping stone and another team trying to keep us from what we’re trying to do.”

Contact Kyle Rowland at krowland@theblade.com or on Twitter @KyleRowland.