DeKALB, Ill. -- After Northern Illinois went 5-7 in 2019, coach Thomas Hammock asked his players to start "buying the dip."
Hammock wasn't making a condiment request for NIU's football team banquet. He saw a senior-laden group that would get much younger over the next few seasons. More losses were likely before NIU could turn things around.
"Buying the dip meant there's going to be some rough roads ahead," Hammock explained to ESPN on Monday. "I said, 'Just continue to buy into the process, buy into the culture and you will be rewarded tenfold.'"
Hammock had no way of knowing how rocky the road would become for his team. The coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020, wiping out spring football just six days after practices had started. The Huskies spent most of the spring and summer apart. Then, the day after preseason camp opened, the Mid-American Conference canceled the fall football season.
An abbreviated season finally kicked off in early November, and NIU went 0-6, its first winless campaign since 1997.
A year later, though, NIU is the MAC champion, and Friday it will aim for its 10th win as it faces Coastal Carolina in the Tailgreeter Cure Bowl (6 p.m. ET, ESPN). Despite being the nation's second-youngest team -- 75 players graduated high school in 2020 or 2021 and 11 others in 2019 -- the Huskies completely flipped the script. They recorded seven one-score victories, most in the FBS, before pounding Kent State in the MAC title game.
The Huskies flipped their record through player development, a familiar offensive identity and improved leadership and focus in tight games.
While NIU is the first team in FBS history to win its conference championship game a year after going winless, the Huskies weren't the only notable turnaround in college football this season. Four FBS conference champions this season had losing records in 2020, including Michigan, which went from 2-4 to its first Big Ten title in 17 years and its first CFP appearance.
From 2001 to 2020, only 12 FBS teams went from losing records to league champions, and never more than two in a single season.
"Last year was just such a weird season," NIU quarterback Rocky Lombardi said. "Programs were in transition, and then dealing with the daily challenges of COVID, not just practicing and playing, you've got to sit at home all day. Everybody's life was completely different, and that definitely [makes] an impact on the field."
Here's how NIU and five other teams -- Michigan, Baylor, Utah State, Michigan State and Houston -- dramatically changed their trajectories in 2021.
2020 record: 0-6
2021 record: 9-4
Conference result: MAC champion
Postseason: Tailgreeter Cure Bowl, Friday vs. Coastal Carolina
When Northern Illinois walked off the field at 0-6, the natural question became whether the young Huskies should have even played a season. "Having the ability to play six games really was a benefit to us," Hammock said. "As opposed to not playing anything and then you come into this season with no experience again. We played a lot of tight games and tough games. They gained some confidence to say, 'If you couldn't destroy me as a freshman, I know I will be better a year from now.'"
Hammock ramped up the offseason program. Players did conditioning drills after each practice. NIU still needed more leadership, though, especially with so few veterans.
Lombardi, who transferred in late December after starting six games at Michigan State in 2020, thought he could fill the void. He was excited about being on such a young and impressionable team, and he knew that many players make their biggest improvement from Year 1 to Year 2.
After two months to settle in, Lombardi felt he started to win over the locker room.
"It was just about building their trust," Lombardi said. "Once you can gain their trust, people can see through all the B.S. So just be authentic, be yourself and people will follow."
As the season approached, Hammock loved the team's approach, and how younger players followed a small group of veterans that included Lombari and center Brayden Patton. On the Tuesday before the season opener, Hammock told players that they had developed an edge, even if they didn't fully realize it.
"You are physical, you are tough and you're committed to one another," Hammock said to the team. "We have a chance."
Four days later, NIU beat Georgia Tech 22-21 on a 2-point conversion pass from Lombardi to a diving Tyrice Richie with 38 seconds left. The Huskies opened MAC play with a 27-20 win over Eastern Michigan and won their next five league games by eight points or fewer.
NIU's profile includes two wins by a single point, another by two points and another in overtime.
"We built our whole program in the offseason on mental toughness," Hammock said. "We won four games by five points [total]. Some people may say that's luck. I say that's mental toughness. It's much harder to coach and play in a one-possession ballgame."
The Huskies built an identity around the run game, a hallmark of the school's best teams and of Hammock, a back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher for NIU in 2000 and 2001. Jay Ducker eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards, earning MAC freshman of the year honors, and four others eclipsed 400 rushing yards, including Lombardi. NIU ranks fifth nationally in rushing (234.2 yards per game), 10th in average possession time (33:03) and third in fewest sacks allowed (.77 per game), allowing the offense to dictate tempo and grind down opponents.
Although NIU's pass game fluctuated -- the team finished with less than 85 pass yards in four games -- there were breakthroughs during the second half in wins over Central Michigan (351 yards), Kent State (532 yards) and Ball State (264 yards).
"Our identity changed a lot throughout the season," Lombardi said. "Originally, it was a ground-and-pound offense, tough-guy football, we're going to run it down your throat. That worked for a long time, and then people started to catch on and made adjustments and then we're throwing the ball a lot.
"Ultimately, our identity is a team that just gets it done."
Good evaluation in the recruiting process played a role. Hammock estimates NIU's "hit ratio" for recruits -- meaning those who see time on offense, defense or special teams -- is around 70% for the 2020 and 2021 classes. NIU's depth chart for the Cure Bowl includes 15 starters with freshman or sophomore eligibility, including four offensive linemen, four defensive backs and three defensive linemen. Despite being the nation's second-youngest team -- 75 players graduated high school in 2020 or 2021 and 11 others in 2019 -- the Huskies completely flipped the script.
"Most people probably hit 40, 50%," Hammock said. "We were way above the numbers, and we hit early."
Picked to finish last in the MAC's West Division before the season, NIU likely will be the league's preseason favorite in 2022. But Hammock is mindful of the program's history, and the "dips" that followed successful stretches, because players "didn't understand what it took to get there." There should be no such entitlement with a group that experienced the lowest of lows only a year ago.
"Their legacy is one of the biggest turnarounds in the history of college football," said Hammock, who won MAC Coach of the Year honors. "To go from zero wins to a championship hasn't been done. To go from zero wins to [potentially] 10 wins hasn't been done. They'll always be able to come back, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years from now and say, 'We made history.'"
Michigan: Players take accountability
2020 record: 2-4
2021 record: 12-1
Conference result: Big Ten champion
Postseason: CFP Semifinal at Capital One Orange Bowl, Dec. 31 vs. Georgia
Like Northern Illinois, Michigan relied on improved leadership to fuel its turnaround. Players took a more proactive approach in changing the program's trajectory, enforcing more discipline and accountability rather than leaving it to the coaches.
"There's more of a team language," coach Jim Harbaugh told ESPN in July. "That's how our team is being led."
Unlike NIU, Michigan had more veterans to step up, including defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, running back Hassan Haskins, safety Brad Hawkins, linebacker Josh Ross and a seasoned offensive line. The Wolverines displayed the line-of-scrimmage-based style Harbaugh had envisioned since his arrival. Hutchinson and David Ojabo tormented quarterbacks, combining for 25 sacks and seven forced fumbles. Haskins and Blake Corum combined for 2,227 rush yards and 31 touchdowns. Michigan surged to 10th nationally in rushing and third in fewest sacks allowed.
Harbaugh's coaching staff changes after 2020 also paid off. Mike Macdonald, a first-time defensive coordinator at 34, galvanized the unit with help from new position coaches George Helow (linebackers), Steve Clinkscale (defensive backs) and Ron Bellamy (safeties). Michigan brought back program great Mike Hart to work with the running backs and shifted Sherrone Moore from tight ends to offensive line, a group that really blossomed this season.
Baylor: Offensive coordinator change works
2020 record: 2-7
2021 record: 11-2
Conference result: Big 12 champion
Postseason: Allstate Sugar Bowl, Jan. 1 vs. Ole Miss
Coach Dave Aranda's Baylor debut was postponed by COVID issues, which cropped up repeatedly throughout his first season in Waco. Combined with an offense that averaged only 23.3 points per game, the Bears struggled to keep up. Aranda made one of the nation's best coordinator changes in the offseason, bringing in BYU's Jeff Grimes, who this fall became a finalist for the Broyles Award (nation's top assistant). Baylor averaged 12 more points per game and more than doubled its rushing average from 2.7 yards per carry in 2020 to 5.9 this season.
Abram Smith and Trestan Ebner led a running attack that controlled games behind a more physical and sound offensive line.
Aranda's signature defense also began to click in Year 2. All-America safety Jalen Pitre led a unit that allowed only 19.9 points per game and 3.4 yards per rush. Baylor's approach worked in a league with increasingly more defense and complementary football, as it won its final four games, including the league championship, without scoring more than 27 points.
Utah State: Coaching change provides a spark
2020 record: 1-5
2021 record: 10-3
Conference result: Mountain West champion
Postseason: Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented By Stifel, Saturday vs. Oregon State
Utah State's rapid rebound is even more impressive because the program went through a coaching change and other turmoil in 2020. The Aggies were outscored 211-93 in six games and averaged just 4.8 yards per pass attempt. Their closest defeat came by 21 points. Coach Blake Anderson came in from Arkansas State and quarterback Logan Bonner followed. The result was an offense that rose to 15th nationally in passing (305.8 yards per game) and a defense that recorded 21 takeaways (tied for 18th nationally) and tightened against the run. Bonner passed for 3,560 yards and a team-record 36 touchdowns.
Like NIU, Utah State opened with a close road win against a Power 5 opponent (Washington State), and ended the regular season with a dominant win in the league championship against San Diego State. The Aggies also did well in close games, going 4-0 in games decided by four points or less.
2020 record: 2-5
2021 record: 10-2
Conference result: Third in Big Ten East Division (7-2 record)
Postseason: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Dec. 30 vs. Pitt
Coach Mel Tucker's first season at Michigan State featured two notable wins (over rival Michigan and division champion Northwestern) and five double-digit losses, including by 42 to Iowa and by 30 to Ohio State. To improve MSU's roster, Tucker used an aggressive and innovative strategy with the transfer portal, relying on his experiences as an NFL assistant. Michigan State added transfers such as Wake Forest's Kenneth Walker III, who went on to win the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back. Other transfers included linebacker Quavaris Crouch, cornerbacks Chester Kimbrough and Ronald Williams and offensive tackle Jarrett Horst.
The Spartans made significant strides on offense, improving their yards-per-play average from 4.8 in 2020 to 6.5 this year. They started 8-0, beating Michigan, Miami and others, before limitations on defense cropped up against better passing teams. But Tucker's strong second season earned him a historic contract at MSU, which seems set up to contend in the Big Ten East for years to come.
Houston: Defense fuels win streak
2020 record: 3-5
2021 record: 11-2
Conference result: Tied for first in AAC (8-0), lost to Cincinnati in league championship
Postseason: TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl, Dec. 28 vs. Auburn
The excitement around Houston's hire of Dana Holgorsen -- a sitting Power 5 coach not in job danger -- had worn off a bit after a 7-13 record the previous two seasons. Houston then began the season with a 17-point loss to Texas Tech. But Holgorsen and the Cougars erased any panic by winning 11 straight to close the regular season. Holgorsen's patented Air Raid offense surged behind quarterback Clayton Tune, wide receiver Nathaniel Dell and running backs Alton McCaskill and Ta'Zhawn Henry, but defense became Houston's signature.
The Cougars allowed 24 points or fewer nine times during the 11-game win streak. They collected 22 takeaways (tied for 14th nationally) and rose to No. 6 nationally in total defense (297.2 yards per game). Before the AAC title game loss, Houston was one of only four FBS teams to rank in the top 10 nationally in both scoring offense and total defense. Houston fell short of a championship but is back on a good trajectory as the Big 12 move nears.
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