Northwestern vs. Utah

HOLIDAY BOWL - Northwestern turned its season around in a hurry after starting 1-3 when it reeled off four straight wins against Michigan State, Nebraska in overtime, Rutgers and Wisconsin. The Wildcats then lost to currently undefeated Notre Dame before winning three more times in a row, featuring a road win at Iowa. Utah finished 9-4, but may have shown its true colors in the Pac-12 championship game as the Utes could manage only a field goal against Washington.  Backup quarterback Jason Shelley had been adequate as a fill-in for injured Tyler Huntley, but he went 17-of-27 for only 137 yards with no TDs and three interceptions versus the stout defense of the Huskies, who outgained the Utes 306-188.  Northwestern is led by QB Clayton Thorson, who completed 60.4 percent for 2,942 yards and 15 TDs. Flynn Nagel led the receiving corps with 66 catches for 759 yards and Isaiah Bowser rushed for 796 yards and six touchdowns on 4.6 yards per carry. The Wildcats are 8-3 ATS their last 11 games when following an ATS loss and 13-6-2 ATS their last 21 games overall. Utah is 2-6 ATS its last eight after scoring 20 or fewer points its previous game and the offense showed its vulnerability in the Pac-12 title game. Grab the points with Northwestern.