Following an impressive 7-5 season and second-place Big Ten West finish, Northwestern football’s hot streak continues. In fact, the Wildcats bring hot dice to a College Football Betting atmosphere that thrives off just that. The Wildcats will take on Utah in the 2023 SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl in Las Vegas. The game will be held in Allegiant Stadium. To illuminate, the Wildcats’ trip out west will be the program’s first bowl appearance since the 2020 season. Then, Northwestern defeated Auburn 35-19 in the Citrus Bowl.
2023 Las Vegas Bowl Utah Utes vs. Northwestern Wildcats Betting Information
| Date and Time: | Saturday, December 23, 2023, 7:30 p.m. ET. |
|---|---|
| Location: | Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV. |
| TV Coverage: | ABC |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | -7 -110 | 42 -110 | -275 |  |
| Northwestern | +7 -110 | 42 -110 | +225 | |
| ||||
Las Vegas Bowl Format
The Las Vegas Bowl was played at Sam Boyd Stadium from 1992 to 2019. And then it moved to Allegiant Stadium for the 2021 season. Concurrently, it has featured a team from the Pac 12 since 1996 and will continue to for the foreseeable future. Following a longstanding agreement with the Mountain West, the Las Vegas Bowl is now a Power Five bowl. A Pac-12 team was to play a Big Ten team in 2021, 2023, and 2025, and an SEC team will be the opponent in 2022 and 2024.
Las Vegas Bowl Recent Results
Wisconsin took care of Arizona State in the 2021 Las Vegas Bowl. The game was all about running back Braelon Allen. To show, Allen ran for 159 yards and was named MVP. The Badgers had an 18-play drive in the fourth quarter that took nearly 10 minutes off the clock. Hence, the Badgers sealed the win. In 2022, Oregon State routed Florida 30-3. MVP QB Ben Gulbranson threw for 165 yards passing with a TD. Florida committed 11 penalties in a sloppy online wagering performance.
Las Vegas Bowl Past Winners
In sum, Boise State was the first school to win the Las Vegas Bowl three times in a row, accomplishing the feat from 2010-12 in its first three appearances. The Broncos tied Utah as the most successful team in this bowl game with a victory over Oregon in 2017. Now they are 4-1 in this game. Also, the other very successful team in this bowl game is Utah. The Utes have won the Las Vegas Bowl four times, with their last victory coming in 2015.
Las Vegas Bowl Matchup
Last game, the Northwestern Wildcats won 45-43 against the Illinois Fighting Illini as 6-point road dogs. The game went over the College Football Betting total of 48. Northwestern has a record of 7-5 straight up, 8-4 against the spread, and 6-6 over/under the total. Northwestern ranks 124th for total offense, 98th for passing, 120th for rushing, and 104th for scoring. Defensively, they rank 43rd overall, 24th against the pass, 83rd against the rush, and 52nd for points allowed. Also, Northwestern ranks 1st for fewest turnovers lost and 49th for takeaways.
Last game, the Utah Utes won 23-17 against the Colorado Buffaloes as 22.5-point home favorites. The game went under the total of 51. Utah has a record of 8-4 straight up, 6-5-1 against the spread, and 5-7 over/under the total. Utah ranks 86th for total offense, 117th for passing, 29th for rushing, and 85th for scoring. Defensively, they rank 16th overall, 64th against the pass, 4th against the rush, and 23rd for points allowed. Also, Utah ranks 4th for the fewest turnovers lost and 16th for takeaways.
Las Vegas Bowl Prediction
Now, NU enters with a four-game bowl winning streak. That is the second-longest in the Big Ten and fourth in the nation. But Utah is the deeper team with a tradition of winning.