The Northern Illinois Huskies are set to face the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Friday. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our college football odds series, which includes our Northern Illinois-Coastal Carolina Cure Bowl prediction and pick we have laid out below.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here’s the Northern Illinois-Coastal Carolina Cure Bowl odds:
College Football odds: Northern Illinois-Coastal Carolina Odds
Northern Illinois: +10.5 (-110)
Coastal Carolina: -10.5 (-110)
Over: 62.5 (-110)
Under: 62.5 (-110)
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Why Northern Illinois Could Cover the Spread
The Northern Illinois Huskies had a strong 2021 campaign, finishing with a 9-4 record and 1st place in the MAC-West. The Huskies have won three of their last four games and will be looking to keep the momentum going against Coastal Carolina in the Cure Bowl on Friday night. Northern Illinois offense averages 30.8 points and 409.5 yards per game. They lead the nation in 4th down conversion percentage (84.00%). The ground game is the strength of this Huskies team. They rank 4th in rush yards per game (229.5) and 5th in rushes per game (45.7). Running back Jay Ducker leads the rushing attack with 1,038 yards and three touchdowns as Clint Ratkovich has 448 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
Defensively, Northern Illinois yields 34.3 points per game to opponents. They have not given up over 30 points since the beginning of November. They give up 461.4 yards per game to opponents. CJ Brown leads the team with 103 tackles as Devonte O’Malley has 4.0 sacks. Over their last ten games, the Huskies are 7-3 against the spread.
Why Coastal Carolina Could Cover the Spread
The Chanticleers were one of the hottest teams in college football to start out the season. They won their first six games of the season, finishing with an overall record of 10-2. The offense is the catalyst of this football team, as they rank in the top ten in several offensive categories. The Chanticleers rank 2nd in the nation in yards per play (7.2), 2nd in 3rd down conversion percentage (53.54%), 6th in points per game (39.4) and 7th in yards per game (481.5). Quarterback Grayson McCall was hurt for part of the season, however he still has thrown for 2,588 passing yards and 23 touchdowns with a 73.0% completion rate. Running back Shemari Jones has 988 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Jaivon Heiligh leads the receiving corp with 1,034 yards and seven touchdowns.
The defense has been slightly underrated, as they have had several blowouts this season. The biggest one coming against UMass in which the Chanticleers won 53-3. Opponents average 20.5 points and 334.6 yards per game against Coastal. Silas Kelly leads all tacklers with 95 as Josaish Stewart has 12.5 sacks. In their last 15 non-conference matchups, the Chanticleers are 11-4 against the spread.
Final Northern Illinois-Coastal Carolina Cure Bowl Prediction & Pick
The Huskies will have their hands full on Friday night. Coastal Carolina hit a wall offensively when Grayson McCall went down, however they weathered the storm and will be ready to go. They believe that they were slightly disrespected this year and that will show in this Bowl game. The Chanticleers average close to 40 points per game as the Huskies are yielding 34 points. This does not bode well for Northern Illinois as they will have a difficult time getting stops. The only way they can cover this spread is if they favor the run game and keep McCall and company on the sidelines. Regardless, I can see Coastal cruising to a two touchdown victory in this matchup. Take the Chanticleers to win the Cure Bowl and cover the double digit spread.
Final Northern Illinois-Coastal Carolina Pick: Coastal Carolina -10.5 (-110)
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