Air Force is a matchup problem for any team, and especially for a winless one. The service-academy style shortens games and wears down front sevens, and it punishes defenses that miss assignments. NIU last played on September 26 in Atlanta, so it has had extra time to prepare for the option. That's the best thing the Huskies have going for them on paper, and they need every bit of it.
The Falcons have one name on their injury report: wide receiver J. Dawson, listed out with an undisclosed injury before the Nevada game. No update has come since, so his status for DeKalb is unclear. In an offense like Air Force's, one missing receiver matters less than it would almost anywhere else. NIU's report is clean. That means the Huskies have no injury excuse for the start they've had.
The forecast looks good for football: 71 degrees, clear skies, light wind. The weather won't help either side. Air Force's season has been mostly close games: a 3-point win at Nevada, a 6-point loss to North Dakota State and a 5-point win over Navy. It knows how to finish games like that. NIU has lost 3 of its 4 by 21 or more and hasn't shown it can stay in a game into the fourth quarter. If the Huskies keep it within a score into the second half, they'll have a real shot. If they don't, this will feel like another long September for NIU, even though it's October now.