Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - On New Year's Day, the Northwestern Wildcats and Auburn Tigers will collide in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, a game that annually pits the SEC against the Big Ten Conference.

Northwestern earned its spot in this game by winning eight contests during the regular season, including three in a row to close out the schedule. During that late win streak, the Wildcats were able to knock off a pair of nationally-ranked foes, Iowa and Wisconsin. The 'Cats are making their eighth all-time bowl appearance, and their seventh in the last 15 years. They are led by head coach Pat Fitzgerald, one of the best young leaders in all of college football.

"We're extremely proud of our football program, which for the second straight year, finished the season by playing its best football," says Fitzgerald. "Our number one goal this season was to win a bowl game. Now the opportunity is in front of us and it is time to consistently prepare every day to achieve that goal."

As for Auburn, it is led by first-year head coach Gene Chizik, a controversial hire who had little success in his previous role as the leader of the Iowa State football program. Chizik's Tigers opened this season with five consecutive victories to silence critics, but losses in five of the final seven games have caused doubters to resurface. Auburn nearly knocked off SEC champ Alabama in the regular-season finale, but a late touchdown drive by the Tide resulted in a five-point defeat. This will be Auburn's 35th bowl appearance and 12th in the last 15 years. The Tigers have a 19-13-2 record all-time in bowl games.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to play in the Outback Bowl against an outstanding Northwestern team," Chizik said upon learning of the matchup. "This is a tremendous reward for our football players as well as our fans that have been so supportive of our program this season."

This game marks the first ever meeting between the Tigers and Wildcats on the gridiron.

Northwestern is scoring 25.2 ppg this season while allowing 386.0 total ypg. The team is averaging a mere 3.1 yards per rushing attempt, a major area of weakness thus far. The fact that Arby Fields leads the Wildcats with 294 rushing yards tells the story of a team without a featured back. There are four players who have run for at least 226 yards, and quarterback Mike Kafka is one of those. He leads the team with seven rushing scores.

As a passer, Kafka has connected on 65.7 percent of his throws for 2,898 yards and 12 touchdowns against seven interceptions. His top target on the outside in regard to number of catches is Zeke Markshausen, who has 79 grabs. Andrew Brewer leads the team with 792 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 49 catches, as he is much more explosive than Markshausen.

Opponents are scoring 23.3 ppg against Northwestern, which is allowing 344.2 total ypg. Coach Fitzgerald was a star linebacker for the Wildcats during his playing days, and he has preached the importance of defense since taking over the program. The team is yielding a mere 3.7 yards per rushing attempt, but there have been some big plays made through the air against the 'Cats. With 27 sacks and 26 takeaways, there have been some big plays made by the team.

Brad Phillips leads Northwestern with 84 total tackles, and he has forced four fumbles. Quentin Davie has posted 81 stops, including nine TFLs, and he has also forced four fumbles. Sherrick McManis is worth watching as well, as he has intercepted four passes. Senior safety and captain Brendan Smith will try to play this game despite a thumb injury that figures to at least limit him.

"It would make my five years at Northwestern a huge success," says Smith. "I'd be very proud to be a captain who led this team to something this program hasn't done in a long time."

While Auburn has been inconsistent this season, the offense has been strong in almost every contest. The Tigers are generating 32.9 ppg and 432.2 total ypg on the strength of a balanced attack that yields over 200 ypg both on the ground and through the air. Auburn averages 5.0 yards per rushing attempt and 12.2 yards per pass completion.

Chris Todd has been solid under center, completing 59.9 percent of his passes for 2,377 yards and 21 touchdowns against six interceptions. Darvin Adams has made the most of his 48 catches, racking up 855 yards and 10 touchdowns. As for the ground attack, Ben Tate churned out 1,254 yards and eight scores in 12 regular season games.

"I was excited when I heard we were going to the Outback Bowl," says Tate. "It's a great reward for us. To get a bid to a New Year's Day bowl shows how much respect people have for Auburn, since they picked us over so many other teams they could have taken."

Opponents are scoring 26.9 ppg against Auburn, which is permitting 353.1 total ypg. The Tigers have struggled against both the run and the pass at times this season, and 24 of the 39 touchdowns that they have surrendered to opposing offenses have come on the ground. Only once this season did Auburn hold an opponent under 20 points, and that was the opener against Louisiana Tech.

Josh Bynes paces the Tigers with 94 total tackles, and Antonio Coleman has recorded 15 TFLs, including nine sacks. As for Walter McFadden, he has intercepted four passes, and the team as a whole has posted just 12 picks.