HOW COLD WAS IT?

Cold enough that ESPN's #MACtion crew were issuing special commendations to their camera crews, and acknowledging that when people in DeKalb say it's cold, it's cold.

And thus did Northern Illinois defeat Western Michigan in football last week Wednesday, to the entertainment of more than a few patrons of Boston sports bars who were inside and quaffing their Sam Adams or what have you.

But the cold conditions are cold comfort for retired Northern Illinois sports information director Mike Korcek, who is already on record as wanting to see off the football on a school night.

In our community, the past two NIU midweek home game attendance numbers (an announced 8,872 vs. Eastern Michigan and 6,603 vs. Ball State) speak volumes.  This nonsupport for a proud, high-profile Northern Illinois program that has been bowl-eligible nine times in the past 10 years doesn’t jive. Strange. Is this what the MAC really wants?

If anything, this fall on TV the MAC leads the country in exposed aluminum seats, which belies the ESPN recruiting aspect I’ve heard.  “Son, come play in the MAC before 15,000 empty seats” doesn’t make much sense. Yes, the weather in the Midwest is cold in November – even worse at night. I’m sure there’s a league memo to ESPN (or vice versa) to minimize the crowd shots on TV. Sad aspect of #MACtion, sorry.

It's kind of hard to carry out that directive, when, by late in the third quarter, the only students remaining in the student section -- the east stands -- were members of the Huskie Marching Band.

Weeknight football was a dumb idea when it started, it was a dumb idea even with that Orange Bowl bid, conference powers-that-be recognize it's a dumb idea, and yet the dumb goes on.  I suppose we should be grateful that the weeknight football is done for the season, because now it's time for football on Black Friday morning.