Because of who they beat. And because Northern Illinois won in a way that makes it look like it can win again.
For years, NIU hung its hat on beating Alabama in 2003. No one seems to remember that win having more to do with the Crimson Tide being ordinary -- 4-9 that year, 2-6 in the SEC -- than about the Huskies being extraordinary. Yes, NIU won all three of its games against the SEC, Big 12, and ACC, but only Maryland (10-3) lived up to its pedigree, with Iowa State (2-10) collapsing even worse than Alabama.
That pales in comparison to this year. A 16-14 win at No. 5 Notre Dame in the second week of the season was truly history-making. Not just for NIU. For its entire conference. The Mid-American Conference had been 0-51 lifetime against top-five teams before NIU rolled into South Bend.
More: Turn and burn: Former NIU star shines
This isn't like Appalachian State beating No. 5 Michigan in 2007. Appalachian State won a third straight FCS title that year and Michigan finished 9-4 and ranked No. 18.
It isn't even like Chaminade, an NAIA team that beat No. 1 Virginia and 7-foot-4 center Ralph Sampson in a 1982 Christmas tournament in college basketball's most amazing upset. That team lost five games (including one to Cinderella champion North Carolina State in the NCAA tournament).
No, this is a win over a team that has been every bit as good as its No. 5 ranking. Even better. The week after losing to NIU, the Irish demolished Purdue 66-7. They beat a 10-0 Army team. They beat SEC champion Georgia by two touchdowns. They've won two games in the College Football Playoff.
If it wins two more, starting with Thursday's semifinal against Penn State, Notre Dame will win its first National Championship in 36 years.
Notre Dame, a slight favorite Thursday against Penn State, has been good enough to beat everybody so far this year. Everybody, that is, except NIU.
More: Matt Trowbridge: Novak made NIU stand for class as much as wins
"If they win the National Championship, that's quite the feat," NIU coach Thomas Hammock said. "For us, it means that on any given day we can compete with the best in the country. That's what that day meant and what it represented.
When Notre Dame looks better than it has in over three decades, the Irish also make NIU look great.
"I was proud of how we handled the environment. I was proud of the way we played. It was not a fluke that we won that game. We were prepared for that moment. I hope Notre Dame wins the National Championship. I hope we are the only team that beats them."
The other thing remarkable about NIU's win over Notre Dame was how the Huskies won. There were no trick plays, like Boise State's hook-and-ladder and Statue of Liberty to edge Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. No, NIU came right at Notre Dame.
More: Former NIU star P.J. Fleck named Western Michigan football coach
That's Notre Dame's style. There is no Rocket Ismail, Tim Brown, or Joe Montana in South Bend this year. This Irish team is built on the lines. Notre Dame won last week by holding Georgia of the feared SEC to 62 yards rushing. Notre Dame wins by outmuscling teams.
Yet, it was NIU that refused to yield at the line. The Huskies gashed Notre Dame for three times as many yards on the ground as Georgia did. Three times.
They beat Notre Dame pretty much every way you can beat a team. On the ground. In the air. And by making fewer mistakes.
That last one is how most upsets happen. But a team from the MAC pushing around a potential national champion on the front lines -- that is never supposed to happen.
But it did.
"Styles make fights," Hammock said. "We build our program inside out. We pride ourselves on being extremely physical on the offense and defensive lines. I challenge anybody to go back and re-watch the game and watch the line of scrimmage and how we were able to be dominant up front on that particular day.
"That's the story of our program. That's the story of the hard work. It doesn't matter who we play, when we play, or where we play; we are going to stand toe to toe and compete to the best of our abilities. It takes a lot of other things to build a great team, but the starting point to build a team that can be sustained over a 14-, 15- or 16-game season, you have to be great in the trenches. We take a lot of pride in those two areas," Hammock said of the offensive and defensive lines.
The day of that Notre Dame win in September, Hammock called it "a program-changing" victory, saying it was "no different than when we beat Alabama." But this one is bigger. And maybe it will change NIU faster.
People forget that NIU only went 38-37 in the six seasons after that Alabama win. The star runner on that team, Michael Turner, became an NFL All-Pro, averaging over 1,200 yards rushing in his last five seasons. And the star receiver, P.J. Fleck, now coaches the Minnesota Gophers. But the program as a whole didn't hit its stride until winning at least 11 games for five years in a row from 2010 to 2014 under three different coaches.
After going 3-9 in his fourth season in 2022, Hammock has led NIU to bowl wins in his last two years. That's only the second time in school history the Huskies have won a bowl game in back-to-back years. When he coaches his seventh season next year, he will rank second in longevity only to Novak (12 years) since NIU moved up to Division I in 1969.
NIU may now be in a place its only been in twice before: In 2005, after going 27-9 the three previous years, and in 2015, after going 57-13 the previous five seasons, including making it to the Orange Bowl in 2012 with Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Jordan Lynch. Novak couldn't keep the train rolling in 2005, going 16-21 in his last five years, while Jerry Kill left for Minnesota and Dave Doeren for North Carolina State after three great years from 2010-12. Rod Carey added two more double-digit win seasons, but he wasn't Kill or Doeren and was 29-24 in his final four seasons.
The verdict remains out on Hammock. But the returns are looking good. So good that NIU will likely up the ante and pay $2 million to join the Mountain West Conference as a football-only member, along with the likes of Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV, and Wyoming, beginning in 2026.
The payment has to be approved by the Board of Trustees, which was scheduled to take a vote Tuesday afternoon on Jan. 7.
A 12-team playoff, a new league and a marquee win that may turn into the only loss for the eventual National Champion has NIU sitting in perhaps the best position in the school's football history. Hammock even says the NIL and liberal transfer rules of the fast-changing college landscape could work in NIU's favor -- despite just losing quarterback Ethan Hampton as a transfer to the Illini.
"If a guy comes here and plays well, that other people want him means he played his best football for you guys," Hammock said. "With the transfer portal, you have to replenish more people, but a lot of people want to be part of our program.
"We're in a great position," Hammock added. "We beat a top-five team in the country and won a bowl game for the second consecutive year. It's a launching point for us. It's really helped us in recruiting. It has helped us in retaining guys in our program. We have a great culture and great things on the horizon as we continue to move forward.
"I've been here six years. It has taken me some time to build the foundation in cement, but I think we are there. The culture is built. The talent is in place."
Matt Trowbridge is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @MattTrowbridge.