NCAA Football Western Michigan

Last Saturday, Northern Illinois went into West Lafayette, Ind., and beat Purdue convincingly. (Don't let the 28-21 final score fool you: NIU dominated that game from the second quarter on.) It was the Huskies' first victory over a Big Ten squad in 21 years and an important milestone for a program which was once among college football's very worst. Second-year head coach Jerry Kill has now taken his team to a bowl and knocked off one of the big boys. On the road, no less.

You'd hardly know it, however. Big wins by underdogs usually lead to an avalanche of media coverage, but NIU's historic victory sank without a trace. Why?

Because it's not news anymore when a MAC team beats a Big Ten squad.

They all laughed when Rich Rodriguez said he was going to play three quarterbacks, two of them true freshmen, against Western Michigan.

Many wrote off the Wolverines when the allegations of practice time violations broke earlier this week. No way, no how, could an inexperienced team that went 3-9 last season overcome all the distractions and the Wheel of Quarterbacks. Some even thought it really wouldn't have been an upset if Western Michigan won. The Wolverines had lost their past two home openers, after all.

Who's laughing now?

Turkey Legs to Go is FanHouse's complete travel guide for all of the 2008-2009 college bowl games. Here, we cover the Texas Bowl (Houston, Texas), which pits Rice against Western Michigan.

Overview / Matchup: A 40 point thumping at the hands of Tulsa nearly derailed Rice's season, but a six straight wins over C-USA foes has them headed to a post-Christmas bowl, no small feat for such a small school. Meanwhile, Western Michigan, going to a bowl game for back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history, also looks to make a milestone by winning their first ever bowl game. I wish we were joking about that.

Hotels: The St. Regis is arguably the finest hotel in Houston. The hotel staff is meticulous and the atmosphere manages to be sophisticated and elegant without seeming stuffy. The property is about fifteen minutes from the stadium. It might seem far, but in America's third largest city by area, the distance is actually quite reasonable. Situated within the Astro Village complex, near the Astrodome and Galleria shopping complex, the Houston Grand Plaza Hotel offers the best value for your bowl-game weekend. Although the hotel is on the low end of a four-star rating, the Grand Plaza has hearty buffets and great proximity to the stadium. The Reliant Park Inn & Suites is definitely the bargain of the three. The property has rooms for less than US$100 per night and is located right next to the stadium.