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.