This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
College Football Picks: Utah vs. Northwestern Best Bets
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Utah vs. Northwestern Betting Odds for the Las Vegas Bowl
Spread: Utah -6 (BetMGM)
Total: Over/Under 41.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Moneyline: -240 Utah (DraftKings Sportsbook); +200 Northwestern (BetMGM)
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Utah vs. Northwestern Betting Picks for the Las Vegas Bowl
This is probably not where either of these teams thought they would be at the end of the year, but alas, each team lands in Las Vegas just a couple of days before Christmas.
Utah had high expectations this season, but the return of QB Cameron Rising never materialized, and the Utes were left to scramble nearly the entire season. There were some high notes, even without Rising, as the Utes beat UCLA at home and USC on the road. Still, things fell apart towards the end of the season with blowout losses to Oregon and Arizona and a less-than-impressive 6-point win over Colorado.
Expectations were low for Northwestern heading into the season after the dismissal of Pat Fitzgerald, and early on, it looked as though Northwestern would miss bowl season, but a late-season surge made the 'Cats eligible to play one added game. None of their seven wins this season were against a quality opponent, but seven wins in the Big Ten is still pretty good for a team that didn't have much on either side of the ball.
We haven't seen a lot of player movement from either team since the end of the regular season, so there should be minimal impact from injuries and the transfer portal.
Motivation is likely on the side of the Wildcats, as they probably weren't expecting to be in a bowl game for most of the season, so this feels like a bonus. At the same time, Utah probably had higher expectations midseason after beating UCLA and USC.
The coaching edge goes to Utah as Kyle Whittingham is one of the best in the country, while Northwestern is still figuring things out without Fitzgerald, and this will be the first bowl game without him in a long time.
The numbers for this matchup are not pretty for Northwestern. The 'Cats are good at defending the pass, but the Utes don't pass much. The big problem will be the run defense, which ranks 83rd in the nation. On offense, Northwestern doesn't do much of anything well, so it might be tough to put up points against a solid Utah defense.
With such a big edge on the ground, it's hard to pick against Utah in this matchup. The only issue is going to be motivation. If Utah comes ready to play, the Utes will win and cover. If they look sluggish, Northwestern could make this a game.
With Whittingham at the helm, I'm going to assume that he'll have his kids ready to go, so the play here is Utah, with a lean on the under as well.
Utah vs Northwestern Expert Pick: Utah -6 (BetMGM)
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Utah vs. Northwestern Predictions for the Las Vegas Bowl
This is not going to be a pretty game. Utah knows that it must run effectively to control this game, and that's exactly what the Utes will do, early and often. They'll sprinkle in some passes, but this game will be won primarily on the ground.
Northwestern will fight hard, but the 'Cats just don't have the horses to hang with Utah if the Utes come to play. Northwestern will try to move the ball through the air and on the ground, but they just won't have much success.
Utah gets the ground game going early and takes the early lead. From there, they keep pounding on the ground all day long.
Utah 27 - Northwestern 13
