The cure for the common winter cold is not chicken soup right now, especially with the 2021 Cure Bowl just on the horizon ready to kick-start the college football bowl season next Friday. MAC Champions the Northern Illinois Huskies take on the Sun Belt’s runners-up in the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in what should be a heated battle between two standout mid-major programs.

NitroBetting is ready to equip its bettors with all they need to know about the upcoming college football postseason. This time, let’s take a look at the 2021 Cure Bowl matchup between the Northern Illinois Huskies and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Find out more about the teams and the key players, event information, the latest NCAAF odds, and of course, helpful betting trends and expert betting predictions.

All teams in the Big 12 play one another in the regular season and back on Oct. 2, Oklahoma State beat visiting Baylor 24-14. Jaylen Warren ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Spencer Sanders passed for 182 yards and ran for 76 but did have three picks. Abram Smith rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown for Baylor, which finished with just 280 total yards. The Bears entered the game averaging 42.8 points. That win improved Oklahoma State to 22-18 all-time vs. Baylor and gave it two straight wins vs. Baylor for the first time since OSU won six straight from 2006-11.

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Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina 2021 Cure Bowl Game Information

• When: Friday, December 17, 6:00 pm ET
• Where: Exploria Stadium, Orlando, Florida
• TV: ESPN2
• Radio: WLBK 1360 AM (Northern Illinois) / SPORTS RADIO ESPN 1420 (Coastal Carolina)
• Live Stream: WatchESPN
• College Football Odds: Northern Illinois (+10) / Coastal Carolina (-10)

READ MORE: Middle Tennessee vs. Toledo 2021 Bahamas Bowl Odds, Preview & Pick

Why Bet on the Northern Illinois Huskies?

With a 41-23 shellacking of the Kent State Golden Flashes last week, the Northern Illinois Huskies finished the season with a 9-4 record and with their sixth Mid-American Conference title in school history.

Thomas Hammock’s third year in NIU worked like a charm, as his Huskies defeated five bowl-eligible programs en route to their Cure Bowl appearance. They’ve won eight of their last 10 contests thanks to a strong running game that averages 234.3 rushing yards per game (fifth in the country). Quarterback Rocky Lombardi is a huge reason for this stellar ground attack, as displayed with his three rushing TDs during the MAC title game against Kent State.

Unfortunately, the Huskies have also caved in when it comes to last hurrahs, as they’re winless in six straight bowl game appearances dating back to 2012. This is Hammock’s first crack at a bowl game, though, and the new leadership could just be what Northern Illinois needs to end their rather lengthy bowl-game curse.

Why Bet on the Oklahoma State Cowboys?

Although the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers came up short of taking home the Sun Belt title this season, they’re 10-2 record is still something to behold. That’s now back-to-back double-digit winning seasons under Jamey Chadwell, who was three points shy of winning in his debut bowl appearance in overtime last year against Liberty.

The Chanticleers are now back in the Cure Bowl picture for the second-straight season and they, like the Huskies, have one of the best ground games in all college football. Coastal Carolina ranks right behind NIU with an average of 231.3 rushing yards per game (sixth in the nation). However, the team does more with their offensive possessions, all things considered, as CCU is 15th in the country averaging 40.4 points per contest.

All eyes will be on star sophomore QB Grayson McCall, who has over 2,500 passing yards and 23 passing TDs to just three INTs. McCall missed two games mid-season due to a shoulder injury, but got back in time to make a strong bid for another bowl appearance by winning three of his last four starts since that injury, with the only loss being a three-point defeat to fellow bowler Appalachian State.

Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina Betting Trends

• As mentioned earlier, the Huskies are 8-2 in their last 10 games (7-3 ATS).
• The Huskies are 5-2 in their last seven games as underdogs (SU/ATS).
• The totals went over in five of NIU’s last seven games.
• The Chanticleers went 10-2 this season, but just 5-6-1 against the spread.
• The Chanticleers are 10-1 in their last 11 games as double-digit favorites to win (5-5-1 ATS).
• The totals went under in five of Coastal Carolina’s last seven outings.

Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina Expert Betting Predictions

On paper, the Chanticleers have quite the edge when comparing the two relatively potent offenses. Then again, The Huskies did just win a conference title and should be brimming with more confidence than their opponent. Regardless, the desperation of both sides for a bowl-game victory should make this contest a barnburner that could easily go down to the final possession once more; something that Coastal Carolina is too familiar with based on their recent history in the Cure Bowl.

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Check out our latest sports betting guides for the 2022 College Football season. Stay tuned for more football previews and articles, and don’t forget to check out the latest NCAAF betting odds at our online Bitcoin sportsbook.