Outback Bowl Betting – Northwestern Wildcats vs. Auburn Tigers

Friday, January 1st – Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL) – 11:00 AM ET

College Football Spread: Auburn -7  

Northwestern: The Week That Was  

The Northwestern Wildcats put the finishing touches on an 8-4 regular season by topping Wisconsin, 33-31, on Nov. 21 in Evanston, Ill. Coach Pat Fitzgerald coaxed another close-shave win out of a team that’s been able to persevere in dicey fourth-quarter situations. This two-point triumph over the Badgers was no exception. 

Northwestern used a 17-point second quarter – built on the strength of quarterback Mike Kafka’s passing – to amass a 27-14 halftime lead. But after Wisconsin tallied three second-half touchdowns, one of them on a punt return –  the Wildcats saw their lead trimmed to 33-31 with 10:45 left in the final period. Yet, they didn’t flinch at crunch time. Northwestern’s defense forced two turnovers on Wisconsin’s final three offensive possessions, punching a ticket to the Outback Bowl.

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Auburn: The Week That Was  

The Auburn Tigers didn’t ruin archrival Alabama’s perfect season, but coach Gene Chizik’s team came close on Nov. 27. Auburn fell to the unbeaten Crimson Tide, 26-21, as Bama’s Roy Upchurch caught a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Greg McElroy. Auburn stormed the palace gate and rolled to an early 14-0 lead, thanks to an end-around, a quarterback pass off a lateral, and other trick plays dialed up by offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.

The Tigers opened up their playbook and relentlessly attacked Alabama’s defense with multiple formations and an aggressive vertical passing game. The Tigers maintained a lead well into the fourth quarter, but an inability to take advantage of fourth-quarter field position allowed Bama to win in the final minutes. 

The Week That Is:  

The Wildcats will be thrilled to make the trek to Tampa for a New Year’s Day morning kickoff. The last time Northwestern played a January 1 game in the state of Florida, then-coach Gary Barnett led the Purple People to Orlando for the 1997 Citrus Bowl against Tennessee. It’s not very often that this Big Ten program gets to play on a platform this big, so Northwestern should play with passion, which is always a plus in a bowl game. 

The unfortunate aspect of this tilt for the Wildcats is that their opponent figures to play hard as well. Auburn was expected by many experts to endure a horrible (and bowl-free) 2009 season, as Chizik – just 5-19 in his previous coaching gig at Iowa State – was viewed to be a terrible replacement for the highly successful Tommy Tuberville. However, Chizik hired assistants such as Malzahn who have provided high-level guidance to quarterback Chris Todd and the rest of the Auburn lineup, particularly on offense. With a month to shrug off the heartbreaking loss to Alabama, the Tigers have the speed and the creativity that can make the slower Wildcats look overmatched at times. Auburn should post a reasonably convincing win. 

College Football Bowl Betting Pick: Auburn -7