Skip to main content

Prediction, Pick & Odds for Utah vs. Northwestern in the Las Vegas Bowl

Morgan Xaviero

Updated as of December 23, 2026 at 3:43 PM EST. Read time: 3 minutes and 59 seconds. Links to Twitter and Google News provided.

Interim head coach David Braun of the Northwestern Wildcats celebrates a touchdown with Duke Olges #98 as we make our Utah vs. Northwestern prediction and pick for the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday.
Interim head coach David Braun of the Northwestern Wildcats celebrates a touchdown with Duke Olges #98 against the UTEP Miners during the second half at Ryan Field on September 09, 2026 in Evanston, Illinois. Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images via AFP.

The Utah Utes will face off against the Northwestern Wildcats in the 2026 Las Vegas Bowl amidst a packed schedule of bowl games on Saturday. We’ve got you covered with our prediction for the Utah vs. Northwestern matchup, based on the top college football odds available at leading college football betting sites.

The outcome of Saturday’s Las Vegas Bowl will have a significant impact on the Utah Utes (8-4) and Northwestern Wildcats (7-5), as both teams aim to end their emotionally challenging 2026 season on a positive note.

After suffering a devastating knee injury in last year’s Rose Bowl, Utah star QB Cameron Rising was anticipated to make a comeback. However, the sixth-year senior had to watch from the sidelines as the Utes lost four conference games for the first time since 2017 and missed out on the Pac-12 Championship for only the second time in his six seasons.

Despite firing their most successful coach, Pat Fitzgerald, just two months before the season, Northwestern still managed to reach its first bowl game since 2020 and tied the team’s highest win total since 2018 before the upcoming Las Vegas Bowl.

In our analysis of college bowl game odds, we present our top prediction for the Utah vs. Northwestern matchup in Saturday’s Las Vegas Bowl. Our college football picks are based on odds from the top betting sites and are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 stars for confidence.

Las Vegas Bowl prediction: Utah to face Northwestern

Northwestern is a 6.5 point underdog with odds of -110 on FanDuel. This is a four-star bet.

All signs point to the underdog being the best value in this game, with Northwestern being the team to bet on at the college football betting sites on Saturday. The only downside is that the best price of +9.5 is no longer available.

Despite facing challenges at the quarterback position, Utah managed to put together a 6-1 record to start the season. However, injuries plagued the team, leading to three losses in their last five games. Despite these setbacks, Utah closed out the season with a 23-17 win over Colorado, despite being heavily favored to win by three touchdowns.

Aside from Rising, the Utes also lost eight other crucial players to season-ending injuries. Five players were ruled out during the same week in late October, leading to the team’s 2-3 decline to end the year. Following that, there were numerous opt-outs and transfers that further weakened the remaining roster.

Star players Cole Bishop (DB), Keaton Bills (OL), Sione Vaki (RB/S), and Devaughn Vele (WR) have announced their decision to enter the NFL draft and will not be participating in Saturday’s game. Additionally, a number of other players, including starters JT Broughton (CB) and Mikey Matthews (WR), have entered the transfer portal and will also be unavailable for the upcoming game.

Former pig farmer turned walk-on QB Bryson Barnes is in the portal, but is anticipated to start his 10th game of the season on Saturday. However, his performance has not been impressive for the Utes, as he ranks in the bottom 25 in completion rate (58.3%), yards per attempt (6.6), and big-time throw percentage (3.3%) among quarterbacks with at least 250 dropbacks, according to PFF.

At the same time, only four Northwestern players have entered the portal, with just one (left guard Josh Priebe) having significant playing time in 2026. The Wildcats may also have starting safety Coco Azema (47 tackles) back in the lineup, who was one of five defenders to receive All-Big Ten recognition in 2026.

Northwestern’s elite defense played a crucial role in winning four of the last five games of the season, covering six straight victories to secure the team’s first bowl berth under former defensive coordinator David Braun. Braun took over as head coach eight weeks before the start of the season and officially became the head coach in mid-November.

The betting public seems fixated on the team’s jerseys, overlooking the various factors at play on Saturday. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham’s impressive track record in bowl games is also worth considering. He won 10 out of his first 11 bowl games (8-3 ATS), but has since lost four in a row (1-3 ATS).

Northwestern comes into this game as the better-rounded and more determined team in Braun’s bowl debut, showing a consistent ability to avoid self-inflicted mistakes. With sixth-year QB Ben Bryant leading the charge, the Wildcats have a good chance to keep the game competitive against a weakened Utah secondary. It wouldn’t be surprising if Northwestern pulls off the upset victory with odds at +200 through BetMGM.

This is not meant for use in MAAffiliate Disclosure: Underscoreg Review may earn advertising commissions for directing traffic to a sportsbook.

Check out our Google News page and hit the “Follow” button (⭐) to stay updated on the newest odds, picks, and news!

The best odds for the Utah vs. Northwestern game.

FanDuel (-110)

DraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsbet365
NU +6.5NU +6.5NU +6NU +6NU +6
-112-110-110-110-110

The line at the top sportsbooks has seen significant changes since opening at Utah -9.5. There has been a recent shift in favor of Northwestern, now trading at +6 on three of our top sports betting sites, even over the past 24 hours.

There are currently only two college football betting sites offering +6.5 odds, with FanDuel being the only one with -110 odds. We recommend placing this wager on FanDuel. Make sure to explore our top sportsbook promotions to find the best bonus offers for your bet, both for this game and others.

Editor’s note: Prepare yourself for the debut of Vermont sports betting with our top Vermont sportsbook promotions, and make sure to download the premier Vermont sports betting applications! Must be 21 or older and located in Vermont. If you have a gambling problem, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Utah vs. Northwestern odds

Analysis of the odds for the Utah vs. Northwestern matchup

At first, Utah was favored by 9.5 points in this game. However, due to multiple transfers and players opting out, the line has dropped to as low as 6 on our top sports betting apps. Two of the top sportsbooks are still offering 6.5 as of Thursday.

The total has decreased by two points, dropping from 42.5 to 40.5 at most of our top sportsbooks. bet365 is offering odds of -110 for the Under at 41 points for those interested in a low-scoring game.

Information about the Las Vegas Bowl game

  • The event will take place on Saturday, December 23rd at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
  • Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
  • How to watch: ABC
  • Weather: Indoors

Prediction for the Utah-Northwestern game was made on Thursday at 3:15 p.m. ET.

Explore our top college football betting sites:

  • Use the Caesars Promo Code SBRBONUS1000 and check out our Caesars Review.
  • BetMGM Review: Use Bonus Code SBRBONUS for Exclusive Offers
  • bet365 Review: Use Bonus Code SBRBONUS for Exclusive Offers
  • Use the promo code SBRBONUS at BetRivers and check out our detailed BetRivers Review.
  • Check out our FanDuel Review and use our exclusive FanDuel Promo Code
  • Check out our DraftKings Review and use our exclusive DraftKings Promo Code for a special offer.

*Bonuses are not available in Ontario. If you have a gambling problem, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Related pages

Top Sports Betting Sites with the Best Promotions (Available in the U.S. only)

Written By:
Morgan Xaviero
Morgan Xaviero is a publishing editor and lead writer for Underscoreg Review. An award-winning writer, reporter, and editor with a decade of sports media experience, “C-Jax” has worked with ESPN, Forbes, theScore, and various daily newspapers before joining the Underscoreg Review team. He’s a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina, where he served as a beat writer for the Tar Heels’ championship run through the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 2017. Jackson has spent the last five years covering sports betting as a predictive analyst, features writer, and industry reporter. Since joining the team in 2026, he’s played a key role in Underscoreg Review’s coverage of the Super Bowl, March Madness, and NBA playoffs while serving as the lead writer for the growing WNBA and NASCAR betting scenes. Though he’s cashed some big bets over the years — including Lamar Jackson to win MVP (twice) — he’s still haunted by enough second-place bet slips to wallpaper his home office. While Jackson is a committed “process over results” bettor with a keen eye for advanced stats and subtle bias in futures markets, he also embraces sports betting as a vehicle for entertainment and personal investment. He’s written about everything from hot dogs to groundhogs and still hasn’t forgiven his “inside source” for a sabotaged bet on the Gatorade color in Super Bowl LV.