(01-12-2018 11:13 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(01-12-2018 10:41 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(01-12-2018 10:28 AM)HuskieRak Wrote:  One of the most genius marketing campaigns ever... The sales from their "National Champs" tees & hats has been VERY strong as well

This is marketing at its best. Take advantage of being in the national spotlight and making money from it. And what did NIU do with all the Orange Bowl limelight?

I don't think there's a limelight like we like to think. Without that undefeated aspect it's not that big of a deal since there's a G5 in a NY6 bowl every year now. Does anyone even know the last 5 G5 reps since we were in the Orange bowl? UCF, Houston, Boise, WMU, UCF.

Heck,unlike NIU, Houston actually beat FSU. Think about that. Houston went 13-1. Beat Florida state. Was ranked 8th. And what effect did it have? 9-4 the next year. 7-5 the year after that.

IMO, One of the bigger issues that happens on this board is people thinking that the orange bowl should have catapulted NIU into stardom. It definitely can create some momentum, but it's not something that guarantees greater success. I think WMU fans are finding this out as well.

UCF appearance in the Fiesta Bowl for the 2013 season was not G5 related. That year was still part of the BCS. UCF was a member of the Big East which was an auto-qualifier for a BCS Bowl. Even if NIU beat BG that year in the MAC Championship and went to the Fiesta Bowl, UCF would have been in a BCS Bowl.