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There might not be a better way to start the New Year than by watching the No.14 Northwestern take on Auburn in the Citrus Bowl on Friday. Maybe if you woke up on New Years Day and found $ 1 million under your couch sitting on it to watch Northwestern take on Auburn in the Citrus Bowl, that would be better, but it probably isn’t a realistic scenario.
So I’m going to say no, there’s nothing better than starting your year off with this game. I mean there’s just something heartwarming about a Big Ten team playing an SEC team in Florida. New Years. It’s like slipping into an old pair of perfectly fitted shoes.
This year, the Citrus Bowl is a rematch of the 2010 Outback Bowl. In that game, Auburn survived a late return from Northwestern to beat the Wildcats 38-35 in overtime. If this year’s reunion is half the fun of this one, we’re going to have a blast. This match is also the only other time in history that these teams have met on a football pitch.
It’s also an important game for Northwestern. Rumors continue to circulate that coach Pat Fitzgerald could leave Evanston for the NFL as he continues to outperform Northwestern. His Wildcats have just won their Second Division title in three years and are looking to end another remarkable season with a New Years Bowl victory – he has won four of his last five bowl games since 2012 under Fitzgerald. Let’s take a closer look at the scenarios to follow in Orlando.
Storylines
Auburn: It has been a difficult season for Auburn. The Tigers entered the 2020 season with hopes of competing for a division title and eventual SEC championship. Those hopes were hit hard in Game 2 of the season when the Tigers lost to rival Georgia 27-6, and two weeks later those hopes were squarely shattered by a 30-22 loss to South Carolina. – a match that would prove to be one of the only two wins for the Gamecocks. Losses to Alabama and Texas A&M would follow, and a 6-4 season contributed to Gus Malzahn’s dismissal. Kevin Steele will serve as interim coach for the Tigers in this game, but things could get awkward as Steele was hoping to secure the permanent position, but Auburn decided to hire Bryan Harsin away from Boise State instead.
North West: Last year around this time, Northwestern was not in a bowling game. He had just finished a 3-9 season, winning just one conference game. So when coach Pat Fitzgerald said in a season-end press conference that the Wildcats are going to turn things around and play for a Big Ten Championship in 2020, you might be excused for raising an eyebrow from incredulity. Well here we are 12 months later and Northwestern is 6-2, won the Big Ten West and played for a Big Ten Championship. Sure, he lost to Ohio State 22-10 in that game, but it’s hard to say this season has been nothing but a smash hit for the Wildcats. It’s a team that, as usual, were led by their defense, which makes this Citrus Bowl bittersweet. It will be the last game for longtime defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz, who is retiring after a long and successful career, including the past 13 seasons at Northwestern.
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Information display
Game: Citrus bowl
Dated: Friday January 1 | Time1 p.m. ET
Location: Camping World Stadium – Orlando, Florida
TV: ABC | Direct: fuboTV (Try for free)
Citrus Bowl Prediction, Choice
Last Chances:
Northwestern Wild Cats -4
When it comes to handicapping a bowl game, you have to consider a team’s motivation to play in the game. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Northwestern will show up ready to play in this game; this is how Pat Fitzgerald runs his program and how his teams deal with bowl preparation. There’s also the added motivation of being Hankwitz’s last game as a defensive coordinator. I cannot say that I am convinced that Auburn will be so motivated. As mentioned above, they are a team that have just had a disappointing season playing under the guidance of an interim coach who wanted a full-time job and didn’t get it. Northwestern’s offense isn’t good enough to make me believe the Wildcats can get away with this game, and letting Auburn hang around might be all the motivation he needs. I think the Wildcats will cover in the end though. Select: Northwestern -3.5 | Northwestern 23, Auburn 17
So who wins Northwestern over Auburn? And which side of the gap hits well more than 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Auburn vs Northwestern spreads to the back, all from the advanced model on a 56-36 run on his top-rated college football picks this season.
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