Overview
- Kickoff is Friday, Dec. 26 at 1 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit, with television coverage on ESPN.
- Opening odds list Northwestern as a double-digit favorite at -12.5 with a 44.5 over/under, and USA TODAY’s panel offers mixed picks against the spread.
- Head coach David Braun says Northwestern treats the bowl as a serious opportunity despite broader opt-out trends in college football.
- Offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan enters as the game’s top NFL prospect, projected on Day 2 with a chance to strengthen a second-round case in a hometown setting.
- Beyond Tiernan, edge rusher Anto Saka is viewed as a Day 3 option after an underwhelming season, and Central Michigan currently has no players on mainstream draft radars, with Stephan Bracey Jr. or Keshawn Hayden noted as possible late risers.