Jeff Hanisch, USA TODAY SPORTS
The Auburn Tigers and the Wisconsin Badgers square off in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Both of these teams lost to playoff teams in their last games. Auburn fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl, while Wisconsin was blanked by the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game. This game is an opportunity to finish the season on a higher note for both teams.
Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn prefers his team to run a fast-paced offense behind quarterback Nick Marshall. Last season, Marshall led the team to the national championship game, but this year’s schedule was tougher and the Tigers wound up with an 8-4 record and are ranked 19th in the country. All four losses came in SEC play.
Marshall passed for 2,315 yards, with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. He also rushed for 780 yards and 11 scores.
Running back Cameron Artis-Payne led the team with 1,482 yards on the ground, while Duke Williams was the leading receiver with 730 yards and five scores.
Wisconsin (10-3) won the Big Ten West, but had a surprisingly bad performance in the title game. The Badgers, who are ranked 18th, seemingly could not get anything going on either side of the ball.
Running back Melvin Gordon is one of the keys to the Badgers’ offensive attack. Gordon, a Heisman Trophy finalist, rushed for 2,336 yards and 26 touchdowns this season.
Quarterback Joel Stave passed for just 1,229 yards and eight touchdowns, with seven interceptions on the season.
This game will be decided by which team sets the tempo. If Wisconsin can slow the game down, run the ball with Gordon and control the clock, they will win. But if Auburn turns the game into a shootout, it definitely favors the Tigers. Stopping the run will be a big key for Auburn.
Final score prediction: Auburn 31, Wisconsin 27
Tim Letcher is a contributing writer for www.RantSports.com and a member of the Football Writers Association of America. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
