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

Big Ten vs SEC battle adds to Outback intrigue

The Outback Bowl was first played back in 1986 when it was known as the Hall-of-Fame Bowl. Michigan football played in it twice under that name, beating Alabama 28-24 in 1988 and blowing out North Carolina State 42-7 back in 1994. That was a good day for Tyrone Wheatley, who had 124 yards and two rushing touchdowns on his way to being name MVP.

That 1994 team also had guys like Todd Collins, Derrick Alexander and Mercury Hayes just to name a few. In 1997, the game was the Outback Bowl and Michigan returned to play Alabama. Ultimately, the Wolverines lost 17-14.

Michigan football was back in 2003, notching an impressive win over Rex Grossman and Florida as underdogs, before losing to South Carolina back in 2013.

The Wolverines haven’t played in Tampa much, but since the game is played on New Year’s Day and features a marquee matchup of the Big Ten against the SEC, it has become one of the more well known bowl games.

The game has featured a Big Ten-SEC matchup 24 times and in those games, the SEC has a 13-11 record. South Carolina, which made its first appearance in 2001, won back-to-back games against Ohio State in 2001 and 2002. It also lost to Iowa to give it a 3-1 mark.

The bottom line is that this bowl game always features two good teams, from two very good conferences. In the battle for conference bragging rights, it’s a key showdown. It also provides teams with a national stage to try and make a statement heading into the 2018 season.

That’s why it’s the perfect opportunity for Michigan football. The Wolverines need momentum and a win over South Carolina in the Outback Bowl would give it to them.