2005 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

2005 Northern Illinois Huskies football
MAC West co-champion
ConferenceMid-American Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record7–5 (6–2 MAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJohn Bond (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorDenny Doornbos (2nd season)
MVPGarrett Wolfe
Captains
  • A. J. Harris
  • Ray Smith
  • Brian Van Acker
Home stadiumHuskie Stadium
2005 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Akron xy$   5 3     7 6  
Miami (OH) x   5 3     7 4  
Bowling Green x   5 3     6 5  
Ohio   3 5     4 7  
Buffalo   1 7     1 10  
Kent State   0 8     1 10  
West Division
Northern Illinois xy   6 2     7 5  
Toledo x   6 2     9 3  
Western Michigan   5 3     7 4  
Central Michigan   5 3     6 5  
Ball State   4 4     4 7  
Eastern Michigan   3 5     4 7  
Championship: Akron 31, NIU 30
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions

The 2005 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by tenth-year head coach Joe Novak, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 7–5 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, sharing the MAC's West Division title with Toledo. By virtue of their head-to-head win over Toledo, Northern Illinois advanced to the MAC Championship Game, where they lost to Akron. Despite reaching bowl eligibility, the Huskies were not invited to a bowl game. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.