2012 GoDaddy.com Bowl – Two of the more explosive teams in the nation will take to the field when the Arkansas State Red Wolves and Northern Illinois Huskies got at it in what promises to be a thrilling ‘under the radar affair’ that college football fans and gamblers alike are sure to enjoy. Thanks to the bettor-friendly management at Touthouse.com, collegiate gridiron gamblers everywhere will get the expert insight they’ll need in order to make a pair of potentially winning wagers on this matchup of ‘mid-majors’.

Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State
When: January 8th, 9:00 PM ET
Where: Ladd-Peebles Memorial Stadium in Mobile, AL
TV: ESPN and ESPN3
Pick: CLICK HERE FOR THE WINNING BETTING PICK
Point Spread: Arkansas State Red Wolves (-1.5) vs. Northern Illinois Huskies (+1.5) Over/Under 62

First let’s take a look at the Arkansas State Red Wolves, who will enter this contest without one-and-done head coach Hugh Freeze, who was hired by Mississippi a couple of weeks ago after spending just one season with the school.

Arkansas State (10-2 SU, 10-2 ATS, 4-9 O/U)
The Red Wolves recorded a perfect 8-0 mark in conference play to win the Sun Belt Conference this season and will be led by running backs coach David Gunn who was named the teams’interim coach for this bowl game matchup.

Arkansas State finished 26th in total offense this season (450.18 yards per game), 31st in scoring offense (32.4 ppg) and a respectable 40th in red zone offense.

The Red Wolves are led by do-it-all quarterback Ryan Aplin and the junior responded solidly this season, though he did throw a high number of interceptions, finishing with 18 TD strikes and 13 picks. Alpin made up for the majority of those interceptions by rushing for 605 yards with an eye-opening nine touchdown jaunts. The 6-1 junior from Florida finished 28th in total passing yards (2,879) and 25th in passing yards per game (261.73).

Believe it or not, Arkansas State finished the 2011 season ranked a fantastic 15th in the nation in points allowed defensively, giving up just 19.4 points per contest while also ranking 20th in the country in total yards allowed (325.7 ypg).

The Red Wolves are 0-1in Bowl games, having lost in the 2005 New Orleans Bowl 31-19 to Southern Mississippi but became the first team in Sun Belt Conference history to win 10 regular-season games.

Here is a look at some of the Red Wolves’ Key Trends:
Arkansas State is 6-1 ATS in their L/7 games as a favorite.
The Red Wolves are 4-1 ATS in their L/5 non-conference games.
The Under is 16-4-2 in Red Wolves last 22 games against a team with a winning record.
The Under is 10-4 in Arkansas State’s last 14 games overall.

CLICK HERE FOR THE NORTHERN ILLINOIS VS. ARKANSAS STATE WINNING PICK
CLICK HERE FOR FREE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS

Northern Illinois (10-3 SU, 5-8 ATS, 7-6 O/U)
Northern Illinois has won 10 games in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history while posting a stellar 8-1 record in conference play this season to win the MAC. The Huskies have now been to four straight bowl games and six bowl games in the last eight years overall.

The Huskies’ high-powered offense finished ninth in the nation in total yards (488.17 yards per game), while finishing tied for 13th in scoring offense (38.3 points a game), eighth in rushing offense (255.33) and eleventh in both, first downs and red zone offense.

Northern Illinois is led by senior quarterback Chandler Harnish the Red Wolves saw their leader go out with a flourish. The strong-armed signal-caller out of Indiana had a fine season in throwing 26 TD passes against just five interceptions. Harnish finished the 2011 campaign ranked 15th in passing efficiency while also ranking and identical 15th in the country in rushing yards per game (112.5 yards per game).

Defense was a problem for the Huskies as they finished 90th in the country in points allowed (31.1 ppg) while allowing a whopping 418.1 total yards per contest (86th). Nortehrn Illinois was equally inept against the pass and run this season.

The Huskies are 3-3 in Bowl games and beat Fresno State 40-17 in last season’s Humanitarian Bowl on Dec. 8, 2010.

Here is a look at some of the Huskies’ key trends this season:
Northern Illinois is 5-14 ATS in their L/19 games against a team with a winning record.
The Huskies are 1-8 ATS in their last nine neutral site games.
The Huskies are 0-5 ATS in their L/5 neutral site games as an underdog.
The Under is 5-0 in the Huskies’ L/5 neutral site games as an underdog.
The Under is 7-1 in Northern Illinois’ L/8 neutral site games.
The Over is 5-1 in the Huskies last half-dozen games against non-conference opponents.

If you enjoyed this Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State GoDaddy Bowl pick and point spread preview, be sure to visit Touthouse.com this entire bowl season for winning college football predictions from our professional sports handicappers.

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