The Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-2) will take on the Auburn Tigers (9-3) in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day at 1 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. We analyze the Minnesota-Auburn odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.
Minnesota at Auburn:
Three things you need to know
1. After starting the year 9-0, the Golden Gophers finished by losing two of their last three games to Iowa and Wisconsin. They scored only 36 total points in those games, which is only two points higher than their average per game this season (34.3).
2. Auburn’s three losses came against teams ranked in the top 10 at the time of the game. The Tigers lost 24-13 to 10th-ranked Florida, 23-20 to No. 2 LSU and 21-14 to No. 4 Georgia.
3. Auburn ranks 13th in points allowed per game on defense, giving up just 18.6 PPG. Minnesota is 23rd in the country in scoring, putting up 34.3 points per contest.
Moneyline (ML)
Auburn is one of the best teams in the country, despite its record not reflecting that. The Tigers’ only losses came to top-10 teams, and all three games were close. They should beat the Golden Gophers, whose only impressive win came against No. 4 Penn State.
Auburn is 4-2 straight up in its last six games against the Big Ten. Take AUBURN (-264) to win outright in this one, largely because of its stronger resume.
Against the Spread (ATS)
Auburn is 9-3 ATS this season, which is far better than Minnesota’s 6-4-2 mark. The Tigers are also 6-0 ATS in their last six non-conference games, which bodes well for their chances in this matchup.
Auburn is favored by 7.5 points, but that’s a margin the Tigers are certainly capable of covering. Take AUBURN (+105) to win by at least 8 points, which is a good value at plus-money.
Over/Under (O/U)
The projected total for the Outback Bowl is 53.5 points. Both offenses rank in the top 27 of scoring, but the total won’t quite reach 54 points. The total has gone Under in four of Auburn’s last five games and in seven of the Tigers’ last 10 games on a neutral field.
