| Year: | 2013 |
| Team: | Northern Illinois Huskies |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Mid-American Conference |
| Division: | West Division |
| Short Conf: | MAC |
| Record: | 12–2 |
| Conf Record: | 8–0 |
| Head Coach: | Rod Carey |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Off Coach: | Bob Cole |
| Oc Year: | 1st |
| Def Coach: | Jay Niemann |
| Dc Year: | 3rd |
| Mvp: | Jordan Lynch |
| Captain: | Jamaal Bass, Jared Volk, Jordan Lynch, Jimmie Ward |
| Stadium: | Huskie Stadium |
| Champion: | MAC West Division champion |
| Conf Champ: | MAC Championship Game |
| Conf Champ Result: | L 27–47 vs. Bowling Green |
| Bowl: | Poinsettia Bowl |
| Bowl Result: | L 14–21 vs. Utah State |
The 2013 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) member during the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by first-year head coach Rod Carey, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 12–2 with a mark of 8–0 In conference play, they won the MAC West Division title, and advanced to the MAC Championship Game, where they lost to East Division champion Bowling Green. Northern Illinois was invited to the Poinsettia Bowl, where they lost to Utah State. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
Fresh off their Orange Bowl appearance the previous season, the Huskies went undefeated until the MAC Championship Game. This garnered national attention with the anticipation of another Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl appearance. Starting quarterback Jordan Lynch finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy.[1] The season marked the Huskies' sixth consecutive trip to a bowl game and their second consecutive bowl game loss.
See also: 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings.
See also: Iowa Hawkeyes football and 2013 Iowa Hawkeyes football team. Sources:Jordan Lynch threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more, as the team came away with their second win of the season.
----See also: Eastern Illinois Panthers football and 2013 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team. Sources:
Jordan Lynch threw for 207 yards and three touchdowns, and Northern Illinois scored on a kickoff return and an interception return to rout Purdue 55–24.It's the first time a Mid-American Conference team has beaten two Big Ten foes during the same regular season, and the Huskies made it look easy, tying the MAC record for victory margin over a Big Ten school. Toledo beat Minnesota by 31 in 2001.
----See also: Kent State Golden Flashes football and 2013 Kent State Golden Flashes football team. Sources:
Cameron Stingily ran for a career-high 266 yards and two scores as Northern Illinois remained undefeated with a 38–24 win over Kent State.
----See also: Akron Zips football and 2013 Akron Zips football team. Sources:
The Huskies used their defense and kicking game to beat Akron 27–20 on Saturday night after the offense went 1 for 15 on third-down conversions.
----See also: Central Michigan Chippewas football and 2013 Central Michigan Chippewas football team. Sources:
Lynch had three rushing touchdowns and was 20 for 30 through the air for 155 yards and another score to help Northern Illinois (7–0, 3–0 Mid-American) extend the nation's best conference winning streak to 20 games. Lynch rushed for 316 yards, an FBS record for a quarterback, and the 23rd-ranked Huskies stayed unbeaten with a 38–17 victory at Central Michigan.
----See also: Eastern Michigan Eagles football and 2013 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team. Sources:
----See also: UMass Minutemen football and 2013 UMass Minutemen football team. Sources:
----See also: Ball State Cardinals football, 2013 Ball State Cardinals football team and Bronze Stalk Trophy. Sources:
----See also: Toledo Rockets football and 2013 Toledo Rockets football team. Sources:
----See also: Western Michigan Broncos football and 2013 Western Michigan Broncos football team. Sources:
----See also: 2013 MAC Championship Game, Bowling Green Falcons football and 2013 Bowling Green Falcons football team. Sources:
----See also: 2013 Poinsettia Bowl, Utah State Aggies football and 2013 Utah State Aggies football team. Sources:
----Jamaal Bass
Ken Bishop
Da'Ron Brown
Rod Carey
Dechane Durante
Tommylee Lewis
Tyler Loos
Jordan Lynch
Mathew Sims
Cameron Stingily
Jared Volk
Jimmie Ward
Joe Windsor