Auburn at Northwestern 1/1/21 College Football Picks and Predictions

Auburn at Northwestern 1/1/21 College Football Picks and Predictions Photo by Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Northwestern Wildcats (6-2) vs Auburn Tigers (6-4)

Game Info: Friday, January 1, 2021 at 1:00 pm (Camping World Stadium)

Betting Odds: Northwestern Wildcats -3.5 -- Over/Under: 43.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

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Auburn faces Northwestern on Friday, January 1st at Camping World Stadium for the Vrbo Citrus Bowl. 

Auburn is coming off a 24-10 win over Mississippi State in its last game of the regular season on the road. Auburn may have not had the season it had wanted, but playing in the Citrus Bowl against a solid Big Ten opponent is an impressive feat in itself. Auburn finished the regular season with a 6-4 record, with all ten of its games in SEC conference play. For Auburn, three of its four losses came on the road against Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. Auburn's only home loss of the season was against Texas A&M, another formidable opponent. Auburn scores 25.7 points per game off of 385.0 total yards of offense per contest as well. Auburn allows 23.7 points per game and concedes 400.9 total yards of offense per contest to its opponents this season. 

Northwestern is coming off a tough 22-10 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game on December 19th. For Northwestern, just being in the Big Ten Championship was a major win. Northwestern had an awful 2019-20 season, so the improvements made in the 2020-21 campaign were astronomical. Northwestern actually led Ohio State for a majority of the championship game, but Fields and company were able to crack a very tough NW defense in the end. Northwestern ended the season with a 6-2, ranking the Wildcats at #14 in the AP Polls. Northwestern scores 23.4 points per game off of 348.6 total yards of offense per contest. Northwestern allows 15.5 points per game and concedes 338.8 total yards of offense to its opponents this season as well. Northwestern will look to rely on its defense yet again in this matchup, a defense that is one of the best in the nation. 

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Northwestern is a 3.5-point favorite and the total is set at 43.5. I like Northwestern to win this game, but I think the strongest play is on the under. I do not see either team scoring too many points in this game, and Northwestern features a very run-heavy offense. The total is dropped a bit, and I think that is for a very good reason. 

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Ronald’s Pick Under 43.5

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The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.
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Northwestern vs Auburn 1/1/21 Free College Football Picks Citrus Bowl

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