Michigan Football: How to watch the Outback Bowl, storylines and more
After nearly a month of waiting, the Outback Bowl between Michigan football and South Carolina is almost upon us. Here is all you need to know.
As if there wasn’t enough pressure on Michigan football to deliver in the bowl season, the Wolverines now hold the hopes of a perfect 8-0 mark for the Big Ten in their hands.
Despite playing in the Outback Bowl, not a New Year’s Six game, Michigan football is the final Big Ten team on the bowl schedule. A win and the conference finishes 8-0. A loss and that’s just another thing on fan bases can use as ammo against the Wolverines and their faithful.
However, Michigan has its own selfish reasons for wanting to beat South Carolina in an Outback Bowl rematch from 2013 and part of that is pride. The Wolverines definitely don’t want to go out 8-5, with three straight losses. This team is way too good for that.
More importantly, Michigan can win a ninth game. That would be the three straight nine-win seasons for Jim Harbaugh and company, something the Wolverines haven’t done since 2002-04 under Lloyd Carr.
An impressive win could even give Michigan football its third straight finish in the AP Top 25, another feat that hasn’t been done in a while. Some of these things might not matter, but a win would be a good reminder that the program is still headed in the right direction.
Game Info
Game 13: Michigan vs South Carolina
When: 12:00 PM EST
Where: Outback Bowl (Raymond James Stadium) Tampa Bay, Florida
TV: ESPN2
Streaming: WatchESPN
Radio: WWJ (950 AM) in Detroit
Spread: Michigan -8.5
Who are the Gamecocks?
Like Michigan, South Carolina is an 8-4 team that is still looking to define its season. The Gamecocks have a solid defense and a good, young quarterback in Jake Bentley.
However, like the Wolverines, they still have a lot to prove. Some of their best wins came over teams like Tennessee, Missouri, Florida and Vanderbilt. So Will Muschamp and his team still need to show the world they can play with the top dogs in college football.
UM may have had a “down year” but the Wolverines lost to four pretty good football teams. Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State could all finish in the top 10, at least three will. And Michigan football played competitively in each game, so knocking off the Wolverines would be a nice feather in the cap of South Carolina.
This week’s coverage
Of course we have been breaking down the Outback Bowl all week long, so here’s a look at some of our coverage, starting with the reason why Michigan needs a statement win, written by yours truly.
With so much young talent, it’s reasonable to expect some Wolverines to breakout against South Carolina and one prime candidate to do just that is Donovan Peoples-Jones, the freshman wide receiver. He was named a freshman All-American as a punt returner, but it’d be great to see him finally catch a touchdown pass too.
One thing that should help Peoples-Jones, is the fact that Brandon Peters will be back starting at quarterback. The redshirt freshman is fully healed from his concussion and after the news of incoming transfer Shea Patterson coming to Michigan, Peters seems more focused than ever. The Outback Bowl could be a defining moment for him, but so far, he seems up to it.
Next: Top 10 Michigan Running Backs of All Time
Finally, if you are still in a festive mood, here is a look at the Michigan football Christmas list, as well as three predictions for the game. Here’s predicting a Wolverines win by double digits.