Michigan Football: 4 Things to know about South Carolina, Outback Bowl

Following an 8-4 season, Michigan football earned an Outback Bowl berth against South Carolina. Here’s all you need to know about the Gamecocks and the game.

Michigan State might not like it, but the Michigan football team is heading to Tampa Bay on New Year’s Day to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Outback Bowl.

The Spartans, their fans and their head coach say it’s not fair, but when is life ever fair? Was it fair that Michigan football had to play with its third-string quarterback? No, but that’s life.

The Wolverines got the berth because they are the more attractive team. Michigan will generate more excitement, better TV ratings and put more people in the seats. That’s what bowl executives care about, not following the Big Ten bowl pecking order.

But back to the game, which should be an exciting one. Michigan meets South Carolina for the first time since the 2013 Outback Bowl. We all know what happened in that game, the Vincent Smith hit. But that team was also similar to this team.

The Wolverines went into that game with an 8-4 record. They had underachieved following an 11-win season and lost some games they could have won, including a loss at Ohio State after having a lead at halftime.

Michigan football lost the bowl game too after having a lead, giving up points on the last drive to lose the game. Who knows what impact that had on the Brady Hoke era, but it didn’t help.

Beating 8-4 South Carolina isn’t the big win Michigan football fans are hoping for, but it’s still a big game for the Wolverines. For one, the program doesn’t want to lose three straight games and secondly, 9-4 just better than 8-5.

With that in mind, here is a breakdown the Gamecocks and the Outback with four things you need to know about this matchup.