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Bowl Breakdown: Outback

Northwestern (8-4) vs. Auburn (7-5)Jan. 1, 11 a.m. ET (ESPN) Reason to watch: If your New Year's Eve festivities prove less exciting than you'd hoped, get an
Stewart Mandel|
Bowl Breakdown: Outback
Bowl Breakdown: Outback

Northwestern (8-4) vs. Auburn (7-5)Jan. 1, 11 a.m. ET (ESPN)

Reason to watch: If your New Year's Eve festivities prove less exciting than you'd hoped, get an early start the next day to watch two entertaining offenses. Behind first-year coach Gene Chizik and innovative offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, the Tigers improved from 104th to 20th nationally in total offense. You never know what trick plays and wacky formations Malzahn will unleash. And while the Wildcats' offensive production was more modest (61st), senior quarterback Mike Kafka is a dangerous shotgun-spread passer who delivered five 300-yard passing games.

Keep an eye on: Northwestern's senior defensive end, Corey Wootton. A year ago, the disruptive pass-rusher (he had 10 sacks in 2008) helped the Wildcats slow down Missouri's Chase Daniel for three-plus quarters in the Alamo Bowl before suffering a torn ACL late in the game. Not coincidentally, the Tigers rallied to win in overtime. Wootton was a shell of his former self for much of this season before exploding in a Nov. 7 upset of 9-0 Iowa, sacking Hawkeyes quarterback Ricky Stanzi in the end zone and forcing a fumble for a touchdown on the game's pivotal play.

Did you know: Though this will be Chizik's first bowl game as a head coach, he went 6-0 as an assistant in postseason play, winning the 2006 Rose Bowl against USC as Texas' defensive coordinator, the 2003 Capital One, 2003 Music City and 2005 Sugar as Auburn's D-coordinator and the 1988 Citrus and 1989 Gator while a graduate assistant Clemson.

Final analysis: Auburn showed off its stout run defense when it held Heisman winner Mark Ingram to 30 yards in the Nov. 27 Iron Bowl. Fortunately for the Wildcats, they don't run much. Kafka will go out with a big game in a back-and-forth shootout en route to Northwestern's first bowl win in 61 years.

The pick: Northwestern 34, Auburn 31.

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Stewart Mandel
STEWART MANDEL

Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated Stewart Mandel first caught the college football bug as a sophomore at Northwestern University in 1995. "The thrill of that '95 Rose Bowl season energized the entire campus, and I quickly became aware of how the national media covered that story," he says. "I knew right then that I wanted to be one of those people, covering those types of stories."  Mandel joined SI.com (formerly CNNSI.com) in 1999. A senior writer for the website, his coverage areas include the national college football beat and college basketball. He also contributes features to Sports Illustrated. "College football is my favorite sport to cover," says Mandel. "The stakes are so high week in and week out, and the level of emotion it elicits from both the fans and the participants is unrivaled." Mandel's most popular features on SI.com include his College Football Mailbag and College Football Overtime. He has covered 14 BCS national championship games and eight Final Fours. Mandel's first book, Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls: Tackling the Chaos and Controversy That Reign Over College Football, was published in 2007. In 2008 he took first place (enterprise category) and second place (game story) in the Football Writers Association of America's annual writing contest. He also placed first in the 2005 contest (columns). Mandel says covering George Mason's run to the Final Four was the most enjoyable story of his SI tenure.  "It was thrilling to be courtside for the historic Elite Eight upset of UConn," Mandel says.  "Being inside the locker room and around the team during that time allowed me to get to know the coaches and players behind that captivating story." Before SI.com Mandel worked at ESPN the Magazine, ABC Sports Online and The Cincinnati Enquirer. He graduated from Northwestern University in 1998 with a B.S. in journalism. A Cincinnati native, Mandel and his wife, Emily, live in Santa Clara, Calif.

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