MAC Championship 2011, Ohio Vs. Northern Illinois: Both Teams Feature Quality Quarterbacks

Any discussion of MAC Championship game participants Ohio and Northern Illinois is bound to start -- and possibly end -- with their quarterbacks. Almost no matter how you choose to dissect them, NIU's Chandler Harnish and Ohio's Tyler Tettleton are eerily similar in their numbers and results.

For starters, both teams head into Friday's game with identical 9-3 overall records. Ohio finished atop the MAC-East with a 6-2 conference record and NIU was the top team in the MAC-West with a 7-1 conference record, beating out Toledo courtesy of their 63-60 win on Nov. 1.

Statistically, Harnish and Tettleton are just as similar. They are ranked 15th and 16th in the nation with quarterback ratings of 154.4 and 151.9, respectively.

Harnish has thrown for 2,692 yards and 23 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,351 yards and 11 touchdowns. No quarterback has rushed for more yards this season. He's also thrown just four interceptions while completing 63 percent of his passes.

Tettleton has been nearly as good, throwing for 2,868 yards and 26 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 576 and eight touchdowns. He's done this while throwing just seven interceptions and completing 64 percent of his passes.

With both teams sporting such good quarterback, it's not surprise they tend to score in bunches. NIU has averaged 39.6 points per game and accumulated 506.5 yards per game. Ohio has scored 31.9 points per game and picked up 459.9 yards per game. This could wind up being quite the shootout.

Head over to MAC blog Hustle Belt and SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.