A lot of great college football programs have defined their programs by playing in the Orange Bowl.

It’s a big deal, it’s at Miami and it’s always anchored as the New Year’s Day nightcap. Besides, it still has its original name, which is an accomplishment itself.

Nebraska, Oklahoma and Miami all have secured national championships with Orange Bowl wins. And here comes Northern Illinois. Huh?

Unless you bet games for a hobby, odds are you don’t even know its nickname (Huskies). The program yearns for pub even in its home town of Chicago.

Nothing against the Huskies (12-1), but their matchup with Florida State (11-2) is the latest reason why the NCAA should sell out to a full portion of postseason playoffs and not that abbreviated thing that kicks in next year.

We like to root for the underdog, no matter the sport. That label is a perfect fit for Northern Illinois. It’s the equivalent of George Mason making the final four.

Northern isn’t even a BCS member. But it is the first team in Mid-American Conference history to qualify for a BCS bowl game. Yee-haw.

“Everybody’s entitled to their opinion,” Northern Illinois executive director and CEO of the alumni association Joseph Matty told the Chicago Tribune. “Our football team did what we needed to do. We played by the rules and we won games.”

That, apparently, is true. Had they not won their last game, it would be Kent State that would be Miami bound. Instead, the Golden Flashes are headed to the GoDaddy.com Bowl to play Arkansas State. Oorah to those two.

It’ll be the finest moment in Northern Illinois football history. However, this makes about as much sense as some of the cross-jumping that’s made a mess out of conference alignment.

It seems an odd fit, no matter the outcome. Winning over anyone outside of its fan base will be a challenge.