AUBURN vs NORTHWESTERN
When: 1/1/2021 1:00 PM
Where:

TV: 1:00 PM
LINE: -3.5
PREDICTION: NORTHWESTERN , AUBURN

Oddsmakers currently have the NORTHWESTERN listed as -3.5 point favorites versus the AUBURN, while the game’s total is sitting at 43.5.

Eleven years to the day after facing off in a thrilling bowl game, the Auburn Tigers and No. 14 Northwestern Wildcats meet again on New Year’s Day in the Citrus Bowl at Orlando, Fla.

The teams played in the 2010 Outback Bowl, with the Tigers pulling out a 38-35 overtime victory. Current Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka completed 47 of 78 passes for 532 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions for the Wildcats.

Northwestern scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes to tie the game, but the Tigers’ Wes Byrum kicked a 21-yard field goal in OT and the Wildcats were unable to equalize. Auburn went on to win the national championship the following season.

This year, the Wildcats (6-2) enter the bowl game coming off a 22-10 loss to No. 3 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game. Northwestern led the Buckeyes 10-6 at the half, but three second-half turnovers and a tired defense gave way to a potent Ohio State rushing attack.

“We just didn’t make the plays we needed to make down the stretch in the fourth quarter to be Big Ten champions,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “But to have the opportunity to represent the Big Ten in Orlando, we are ecstatic.”

The Tigers (6-4) haven’t played since Dec. 12, and in that time they fired head coach Gus Malzahn and hired Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin.

Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele has stepped into the interim head-coaching role for the bowl game.

“These guys have been resilient,” Steele said. “They’ve shown a lot of character, leadership and just the ability to adapt. We’ve actually had an additional bump in the road that we had a change at the top for us, which is something that’s hard on a football program. And so we’re going through that.”

Both teams have their conference’s freshman of the year.

Auburn running back Tank Bigsby was selected the Southeastern Conference’s top freshman after rushing for 834 yards on 138 carries in 10 games. He added 300 kick-return yards and 84 receiving yards for 1,218 all-purpose yards.

Northwestern safety Brandon Joseph won the Freshman of the Year award for the Big Ten, the first strictly defensive player to win the award since Deion Barnes in 2012. Joseph leads the nation with six interceptions.

The game will also be the last in the career of Northwestern’s defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz, who would reach 400 career wins if the Wildcats win the Citrus Bowl.

Hankwitz started his coaching career at his alma mater of Michigan and served as the defensive coordinator for Arizona, Western Michigan, Colorado, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Wisconsin before being hired by Fitzgerald before the 2008 season.

Hankwitz is a finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to the best assistant coach in the country, and Fitzgerald believes Northwestern’s success on defense starts and ends with Hankwitz.

“You look at my head coaching career here and our success, I mean Mike Hankwitz is in the DNA, the fabric, the architect, take whatever you want to say,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m just so grateful for him.”

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LSU vs AUBURN
When: 3:30 PM ET, Saturday, September 15, 2018
Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama

TV: 3:30 PM
LINE: -9.5
PREDICTION: AUBURN , LSU

Oddsmakers currently have the AUBURN listed as -9.5 point favorites versus the LSU, while the game’s total is sitting at 44.5.

After high-profile season-opening wins followed by lopsided tune-ups, seventh-ranked host Auburn and No. 13 LSU square off Saturday in the SEC opener for both teams. Auburn is aiming for its 14th consecutive home victory dating to 2016.

Both teams opened the season with impressive triumphs over ranked opponents, as Auburn beat Washington 21-16 in Atlanta in a matchup of top-10 teams while LSU posted a 33-17 neutral-site win over Miami. Now the stakes are raised for two teams hoping to challenge top-ranked Alabama for the SEC West crown. “This game is always a factor in the SEC West,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said during the SEC coaches teleconference. “I would not be surprised if it’s another one.” Auburn has won 13 consecutive home games dating to 2016, and the home team has won 16 of the last 18 meetings in the series.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Auburn -10

ABOUT LSU (2-0): The Tigers’ offense has been impressive and relatively balanced thus far, as Nick Brossette is averaging 131 rushing yards per game and quarterback Joe Burrow has been steady, passing for 145.5 yards per contest with two touchdowns and no interceptions. LSU’s defense has been even more dominant, though, forcing five turnovers while registering 16 tackles for loss and nine sacks in its two games. The Tigers gave up only 254 total yards in last week’s 31-0 rout of Southeastern Louisiana.

ABOUT AUBURN (2-0): The Tigers have rolled up nearly 1,000 yards of total offense through two games, and it has come from numerous sources. JaTarvious Whitlow (150 yards, touchdown), Shaun Shivers (124, one), and Kam Martin (120, one) all have been effective while running the ball, and Jarrett Stidham has passed for 386 yards and two touchdowns while utilizing 11 different receivers. Auburn’s defense has been wreaking havoc in the backfield, averaging 4.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss after limiting Alabama State to 205 total yards in last week’s 63-9 victory.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Auburn has allowed only three first-quarter touchdowns in its last 21 games.

2. LSU is one of six teams in the nation that has not yet committed a turnover, as it has played 15 quarters without a giveaway dating to last season.

3. Auburn kickers have converted an SEC record-tying 234 consecutive extra-point attempts dating to 2013, the longest active streak in the FBS.

PREDICTION: Auburn 23, LSU 16

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WASHINGTON vs AUBURN
When: 3:30 PM ET, Saturday, September 1, 2018
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: 3:30 PM
LINE: -2.5
PREDICTION: AUBURN , WASHINGTON

Oddsmakers currently have the AUBURN listed as -2.5 point favorites versus the WASHINGTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 48.

An early-season showdown between two marquee teams is on tap when No. 6 Washington faces No. 9 Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Saturday in Atlanta. The Huskies are a combined 22-5 over the past two seasons, while Auburn is looking to post a second straight 10-win campaign.

Washington was part of the College Football Playoff two seasons ago and the preseason belief is the Huskies must beat the Tigers to have a chance at making another visit. “I think our guys are always excited to play,” Huskies coach Chris Petersen told reporters. “They know how good Auburn is. They’re not dumb. They’ve seen tape.” Tigers junior quarterback Jarrett Stidham sees the intersectional showdown as a terrific opportunity for both programs. “It’s going to be a great situation for us, a great situation for Washington,” Stidham told reporters. “Whoever comes away with the win will have a little bit of an edge throughout the rest of the season. The good thing about this game, it doesn’t have any conference implications. You should go and play this game, leave it all on the line, whether you’re Auburn or Washington in my opinion. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC. LINE: Auburn – 1.5

ABOUT WASHINGTON (2017: 10-3): Senior quarterback Jake Browning holds the school record of 78 touchdown passes, ranks second with 9,104 passing yards and has been intercepted just 24 times in 1,095 career attempts. Senior running back Myles Gaskin has topped 1,300 rushing yards in each of his three seasons and is just 52 yards away from surpassing the school career mark held by Napoleon Kaufman (4,106 from 1991-94). The Huskies have a strong secondary featuring sophomore cornerback Byron Murphy (three interceptions in 2017) and junior free safety Taylor Rupp (five career picks) and also have two productive senior linebackers in Tevis Bartlett (team-high 12 tackles for loss last season) and Ben Burr-Kirven (team-best 84 tackles).

ABOUT AUBURN (2017: 10-4): Stidham was just the second quarterback in school history to top 3,000 passing yards in a season as he finished with 3,158 and 18 touchdowns against six interceptions. Junior Kam Martin (453 rushing yards last season) will have the first shot to replace departed Kerryon Johnson (1,391) as the feature back while senior wideout Ryan Davis looks to build on a superb 2017 campaign in which he caught a school-record 84 passes for 815 yards and five scores. Junior defensive tackle Derrick Brown (nine tackles for loss last season), senior nose tackle Dontavius Russell (37 career starts) and senior inside linebacker Deshaun Davis (team-best 82 stops last season) are among the defensive stalwarts.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Washington and Auburn are meeting for the first time – the Huskies are 2-11 against teams currently in the SEC and the Tigers are 8-3 versus foes currently in the Pac-12.

2. The Tigers will be without junior WR Eli Stove (29 catches last season) and senior WR Will Hastings (26 receptions, 20.2 average) for the beginning of the campaign after both players tore ACLs in spring drills.

3. Gaskin needs 16 rushing touchdowns to surpass the Pac-12 career mark set by Oregon’s Royce Freeman (60 from 2014-17).

PREDICTION: Washington 30, Auburn 27

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AUBURN vs ALABAMA
When: 11/26/2016 3:30 PM

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Alabama -17
PREDICTION: Alabama 30, Auburn 17

Top-ranked Alabama already wrapped up the SEC West and plays East winner Florida for the conference championship Dec. 3, but that doesn’t mean the Crimson Tide is looking past Auburn.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said the Iron Bowl rivalry will define the “legacy of the season” in terms of what the Crimson Tide is trying to accomplish.

“I think this is one of the greatest rivalry games in the country,” Saban said. “I know it means a lot to a lot of people in this state as well as nationally and the competitors in the game probably enjoy this kind of competition, this kind of rivalry as much as any game that they play.”

The Crimson Tide host the No. 16 Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS).

Alabama (11-0, 7-0 SEC) goes into the game with the nation’s No. 1 defense against the run, holding foes to fewer than 69 yards per game rushing, and No. 2 in scoring defense (11.4 points). The defense scored nine touchdowns on five fumble returns and four interception runbacks this season.

Add in three punt returns for touchdowns and the Tide scored 12 non-offensive touchdowns, twice as many as the next two FBS teams on the list (Ohio State and Houston).

Offensively, the Tide averages nearly 478 yards in total offense with freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts passing for 197 per game and rushing for 73. Running backs Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs combined to average more than 121 yards rushing.

Auburn’s defense, however, allowed only 15 touchdowns in 11 games, limited opponents to about 118 rushing yards per game, and allowed an average of 334.5 yards in total offense, which is 18th-best in the country and fifth in the SEC.

The Tigers (8-3, 5-2) can also to put pressure on opposing passers (25 sacks, 82 quarterback hurries) and when they can’t get to the quarterback, they have a knack for batting the ball down at the line of scrimmage. Defensive linemen Montravius Adams, Marlon Davidson, Dontavius Russell, Maurice Swain and Derrick Brown have combined for 10 pass breakups.

“Obviously, we’re working for sacks,” Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele said. “But more importantly, we’re working to affect the quarterback, and one of the ways to affect the quarterback is to get your hands up and bat balls.”

But the Tigers are unsettled on the offensive side of things. Though running back Kamryn Pettway, their leading rusher with 1,108 yards, is expected to play after missing the last two games with a leg injury and starter Kerryon Johnson’s ankle seems to get better each week, the situation at quarterback remains a mystery.

Sophomore Sean White sat out last week’s victory over Alabama A&M with a sore shoulder and senior Jeremy Johnson started. Johnson was effective in only his third game this season, completing 14 of 19 passes for 147 yards in the 55-0 rout.

But that was against an overmatched FCS foe. Need it even be said that Alabama’s defense presents a much bigger challenge?

White, who is 129 of 198 passing for 1,644 yards and nine touchdowns, has been on and off the field in recent games. He didn’t start against Vanderbilt but came in to rally the Tigers from a three-point halftime deficit to a 23-16 victory.

The next week, he started against Georgia but re-injured his shoulder and was largely ineffective as the Tigers lost 13-7. He didn’t play at all last week as Johnson and John Franklin III took over.

Offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said that Johnson could start again with Franklin as an alternative.

“I thought Jeremy and John both did a good job,” Lashless said of their performance last week. “They’ve been repping for us the last couple of weeks of practice when Sean hasn’t been practicing. We’ll see where Sean is in the process.

“We’ll try to make a call, at least on our end, earlier in the week so we can prepare the way we need to, but I wouldn’t rule any of them out right now.”

Alabama prevailed 29-13 last year and won six of the last eight meetings to take a 44-35-1 series lead.

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