The 10th annual Camellia Bowl featured the Arkansas State Red Wolves from the Sun Belt Conference and the Northern Illinois Huskies from the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
This was the ninth meeting between Arkansas State and Northern Illinois; entering the game, the Huskies led the all-time series 7–1, with the Red Wolves' lone victory coming in 1995.
The Red Wolves started their season with losses to Oklahoma and Memphis, losing by an aggregate score of 110–3.
[7] They won their next three gams, and went on to become bowl eligible with a 77–31 rout against Texas State in their final home game of the season.
The Huskies entered the game with a 6–6 record (5–3 in the MAC), finishing second in their conference's West Division.