The Northern Illinois Huskies (9-4) will take on the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (10-2) Friday in the Cure Bowl. Kickoff from Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Fla., is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
Coastal Carolina, a team that was expected to be among the best non-Power 5 programs, had a terrific season. However, they lost two of their last six games to Georgia State and Appalachian State.
Senior RB Shermari James has been a workhorse and ranks 50th in the nation in rushing yards with 988 yards on just 151 carries.
He’ll be going against one of the worst rush defenses in the NCAA. Northern Illinois ranks 120th out of 130 programs with 215.8 rushing yards allowed per game.
The Huskies had seven of their last nine games end within a one-score margin, so they’ve been competitive with teams in the MAC, typically coming out on top. They average 31.5 points per game and have had five ball carriers go for over 400 yards, so they’ll be working with a committee in this one.
Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:26 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Northern Illinois +330 (bet $100 to win $330) | Coastal Carolina -450 (bet $450 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Northern Illinois +11.5 (-108) | Coastal Carolina -11.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 62.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Coastal Carolina 42, Northern Illinois 24
Money line
PASS on the money line. I like Coastal Carolina to win but betting a -450 favorite typically isn’t a smart play.
Against the spread
BET on COASTAL CAROLINA -11.5 (-112) as they have one of the most dynamic offenses in the nation and should be looking to absolutely dominate the ground game.
With Northern Illinois having been throttled by Western Michigan just a few weeks ago, the faith in them just isn’t here.
Coastal has shown a dominant run attack and is taking on a side that has an inability to stop the run. Coastal should win this game by at least two touchdowns.
Over/Under
BET on the OVER 62.5 (-110) as who doesn’t love some bowl game magic.
Both teams have terrific offenses and lackluster defenses. Northern Illinois scored more than 30 points per game but gives up more than 32 points per game.
Similarly, Coastal is averaging more than 40 points per game. This should be a game filled with points as two high-octane offenses are going against two poor defenses.
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