The Northwestern Wildcats just got some great news. Clayton Thorson announced that he plans to return for his senior season and will play in the bowl game too. Thorson was considered one of the best quarterback prospects, and there was talk that he could be selected in the first three rounds if he came out this season. Now that he is staying, the Wildcats can get pack to the task at hand, knocking off the Kentucky Wildcats.
Watch the Music City Bowl live on Friday, December 29, 2017, at 4:30 p.m. ET at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. This game will be broadcast on ESPN.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Kentucky +7
Northwestern -7
Over/Under 51
Odds Analysis
Kentucky was almost ranked at one point in the season. The Wildcats got off to a 5-1 start and picked up a big win on the road against South Carolina. Although it lost to Florida for the 31st straight season, Kentucky looked like a dark horse contender in the SEC East.
Unfortunately, things fell apart for the Wildcats after that hot start. Kentucky was only able to beat Vanderbilt and Tennessee, and it even lost to Ole Miss at home. The Wildcats went 1-7 ATS to close out the season.
Pat Fitzgerald continues to work wonders at Northwestern. The Wildcats were dismissed after a 2-3 start that included a loss to Duke but roared back strong. They won their last seven games and showed that you can never count this team out.
Northwestern was also one of the best teams to bet on this season. The Wildcats went 9-3 ATS and covered in each of those last seven wins.
Player to Watch
Running back Benny Snell Jr. had quite the season for Kentucky. In a conference with so many talented running backs, Snell was able to win second team All-SEC honors thanks to how he played down the stretch.
He now has back to back 1,000-yard seasons and has found the end zone 31 times over the course of his career. Snell was fantastic over the last five games of this season. He ran for 777 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he averaged at least six yards per carry in four of those five games.
The one knock on Snell is that he doesn’t have good hands. Through two full seasons, Snell has only caught 12 passes out of the backfield.
Key Stats
Northwestern’s offense has been better than you might think. The Wildcats aren’t the type of team to blow you out of the water or score a lot of points, but they were able to consistently move the chains thanks to a balanced attack.
Justin Jackson had a solid season as the primary running back for Northwestern. He ran for over 1,100 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry on the year. The four-year starter has now run for at least 1,100 yards in every season he has been on campus and should make the most of his last game. He has been a solid receiving option too.
Thorson doesn’t have great passing numbers, but he has the size and the arm strength that NFL teams love. He completed 60.6 percent of his passes this season, but turnovers were an issue. Thorson threw 12 interceptions on the season and had five games where he tossed multiple picks.
Free ATS Pick
Kentucky has been dying for a bowl game close to home and will pack the stadium for this one. You will be seeing far more blue than purple in the stands as the team looks to win its first bowl game in nine years.
This offense has struggled to get going during bowl season, but Kentucky has some nice talent and the Big Ten West was pretty down this year. Don’t be surprised if Kentucky wins this one outright.
College Football Odds: Kentucky 31, Northwestern 27
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