2023 Camellia Bowl Lines - Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois Odds

Camellia Bowl Lines - Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois Odds

The Northern Illinois University Huskies will make their 12th bowl appearance in the last 16 seasons when they travel to Montgomery, Alabama, to meet Arkansas State in the Camellia Bowl. The Huskies will play in a bowl game for the 20th time in school history and for the 15th time as a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team, with 14 of those 15 appearances since 2004. NIU won five of its last seven games to finish the regular season with a 6-6 record, 5-3 in the Mid-American Conference. Five of the Huskies' six losses in 2023 came by a combined 22 points. NIU's defense is ranked 21st in the country overall and sixth nationally in passing yards allowed, while 1,000-yard rusher Antario Brown leads the Huskie offense.

2023 Camellia Bowl at a Glance

Date: Saturday, December 23, 2023

Time (ET) / TV: 12:00 PM / ESPN

Venue: Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama

Matchup: Arkansas State Red Wolves vs. Northern Illinois Huskies

College Football Betting Lines

Arkansas State Red Wolves +1

Northern Illinois Huskies -1

Total: 53.5

Money Line: Arkansas State -107, Northern Illinois -113

Camellia Bowl Preview

Last game, the Arkansas State Red Wolves lost 35-21 against the Marshall Thundering Herd as 1.5-point road dogs. The game went over the total of 53.5. Arkansas State has a record of 6-6 straight up, 7-5 against the spread, and 6-6 over/under the total. Arkansas State ranks 74th for total offense, 65th for passing, 74th for rushing and 63rd for scoring. Defensively, they rank 127th overall, 121st against the pass, 118th against the rush, and 107th for points allowed. Also, Arkansas ranks 19th for fewest turnovers lost and 119th for takeaways.

Last game, the Northern Illinois Huskies won 37-27 against the Kent State Golden Flashes as 19.5-point home favorites. The game went over the total of 43.5. Northern Illinois has a record of 6-6 straight up, 5-7 against the spread, and 6-6 over/under the total. Northern Illinois ranks 79th for total offense, 107th for passing, 41st for rushing and 82nd for scoring. Defensively, they rank 21st overall, 6th against the pass, 72nd against the rush, and 30th for points allowed. Also, Northern Illinois ranks 103rd for fewest turnovers lost and 77th for takeaways.

Camellia Bowl Prediction

In this situation, Northern Illinois is the team in better recent form with a vastly superior defense.

Camellia Bowl Format

The Camellia Bowl began in 2014, and the matchup currently features schools from the Sun Belt and Mid-American Conference. The game takes place at the Cramton Bowl from Montgomery, Alabama.

Camellia Bowl Past Results

Bowling Green captured the inaugural Camellia Bowl with a 33-28 victory against South Alabama. In the first two games of this bowl game, the 'over' cashed each time, averaging a total of 60.5 points.

Appalachian State won the 2015 and 2016 editions, and both victories came on a late field goal for the Mountaineers. In 2017, Middle Tennessee State of Conference USA was springing a slight upset over Arkansas State, 35-30.

Georgia Southern slipped past Eastern Michigan in 2018 but failed to cover as a short favorite. The Sun Belt made it four wins in five seasons when Arkansas State knocked off Florida International as a slight underdog in 2019, as 'the dogs improved to 4-2 ATS all-time in this bowl.

In the 2020 version, Buffalo helped the MAC regain some revenge with a 17-10 win over Marshall of the Conference USA. But in 2021, Georgia State of the Sun Belt Conference put it on Ball State of the MAC, winning 51-20 to nearly take care of the 'over' themselves. Favorites have cashed in the past two Camellia Bowls after underdogs went 4-1 ATS in the previous five installments.

Buffalo beat Georgia Southern 23-21 in the 2022 Camellia Bowl. Cole Snyder threw for 265 yards and a TD and Tajay Ahmed rushed for 98 yards and a score. Justin Marshall was Buffalo’s top receiver with 11 catches, 127 yards, and a TD. Marshall was the game’s MVP

2023-24 College Football Bowl Games

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