Opening day for the bowls brings perhaps the biggest mismatch. Coastal QB Grayson McCall, who has hinted that he will transfer to a Power Five member, could go out with a bang against a team that was winless a year ago. Northern Illinois was vastly improved but won four games by one or two points and three more by a single score. Its rush defense is soft, and the Chanticleers forged the sixth-highest ground average in FBS.

It feels as if we just forgot about the Chanticleers and how explosive and talented they are on offense. QB Grayson McCall is one of the top signal-callers in the country, and on defense, they are really good within the front seven. I expect them to slow down the Huskies run game and force Rocky Lombardi to beat them by throwing the football. That's not a winning strategy for NIU.