The 2024 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University in the Mid-American Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies were led by Thomas Hammock in his sixth year as the head coach. The Huskies played home games at Huskie Stadium, located in DeKalb, Illinois.
On September 7, the Huskies notched their first-ever win over a top-10 ranked team, beating No. 5 Notre Dame 16âÂÂ14 in South Bend, Indiana. As a result, the Huskies were ranked No. 25 in the AP poll released on September 9, the first time an NIU team had been ranked since December of 2013. This upset would become even more shocking as the year went on, as this would prove to be Notre Dame's only loss until the Fighting Irish lost to Ohio State in the national championship game on January 20, 2025. The Huskies meanwhile, were unable to significantly build on the win as they finished the season 8âÂÂ5 overall, and 4âÂÂ4 in MAC play.
On July 19 the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Northern Illinois was picked to finish tied for third in the conference. The Huskies received zero votes to win the MAC Championship.
This was the Huskies' first win over an AP top-10 team in program history.