The Auburn Tigers and the No. 14 Northwestern Wildcats will kick off the new year with a game at the Citrus Bowl. The Tigers appeared in a bowl game last season but lost at the Outback Bowl. The Wildcats did not appear at all at the time. Which between these two teams will take home a victory? Check out our preview of this game below.
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Betting Preview for the Auburn Tigers vs Northwestern Wildcats NCAA Football VRBO Citrus Bowl Game on January 1, 2021
Where: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
When: Friday, January 1, 2021, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Auburn Tigers (+3) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (-3) – view all 2020 NCAAF lines
TV Broadcast: ABC
Betting on the Auburn Tigers (+3)
Record: 6-4 Overall / 6-4 Conference
After back-to-back losses to No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide and No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies, Auburn got back up by scoring a 24-10 road win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs on the road to finish the regular season on a positive note. Auburn used a lethal rushing attack to down the Bulldogs, as running back Tank Bigsby lived up to his name and steamrolled Mississippi State’s defense for 192 rushing yards on 26 carries. Bigsby had three games in the regular season in which he rushed for at least 129 yards and all those resulted in wins for Auburn, which is largely a passing team. The key for the Tigers is to stretch the field enough to loosen up Northwestern’s defense against the run and let Bigsby do his thing. Auburn averaged 25.7 points per game and 212.3 passing yards per contest behind the leadership of sophomore quarterback Bo Nix, who had 2,123 passing yards and 11 touchdowns against three interceptions in the regular season.
The under is 8-2 in Northwestern’s last 10 games overall.
Betting on the Northwestern Wildcats (-3)
Record: 6-2 Overall / 6-1 Conference
Northwestern failed in its bid to stun the college football world when it lost to the College Football Playoff-bound Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game, 22-10. Nevertheless, the Wildcats were competitive in that game, even managing to cover their spread as 16.5-point underdogs. Although quarterback Peyton Ramsey did not score a passing touchdown and got intercepted twice, wide receiver Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman managed to torch Ohio State’s susceptible secondary for 103 receiving yards on just eight receptions. Quarterback play has limited the potential of Chiaokhiao-Bowman, but he’ll remain a huge key for the Wildcats. His ability to stretch the field and play with his pass-catching talent poses trouble for Auburn’s defense. Speaking of which, Northwestern’s defense is poised to pounce on Auburn’s inconsistent attack. The Wildcats ranked fifth in the nation in scoring defense with just 15.5 points allowed per game and seventh in takeaways with 2.2 per contest.
Northwestern is 7-1-2 against the spread in its last 10 games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Northwestern wins, 23-20.
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