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Michigan vs. Florida: Peach Bowl preview and predictions

Nick Bromberg
College football and motorsports writer

Michigan (10-2) vs. Florida (9-3)

Location: Atlanta | When: Dec. 29 (Noon ET) | TV: ESPN | Line: Michigan -6

HOW THESE TEAMS GOT HERE

Michigan: If Michigan’s season was an Oreo, the creme was really good and hearty and the cookies were terrible. The Wolverines opened the season with a 24-17 loss at Notre Dame. Then came 10-straight wins including victories over Wisconsin, Michigan State and Penn State. All three were ranked at the time of the game. Only Penn State finished the season ranked. Maybe that was a sign. After beating Rutgers and Indiana, Michigan then got its doors blown off by Ohio State on Nov. 24. The 62-39 loss denied Michigan the chance to play for the Big Ten Championship and ruined its College Football Playoff chances.

Florida: A Week 2 loss against Kentucky was foreshadowing of a terrible season to come. Or was it? Florida reeled off five-straight wins after that game including victories over Mississippi State and LSU while Kentucky climbed into the top 25. A loss to Georgia wasn’t unsurprising but a home thrashing at the hands of Missouri was certainly unexpected. Florida bounced back with a win over South Carolina, took care of Idaho and then beat Florida State 41-14.

Florida running back Lamical Perine is the team’s leading rusher. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Florida running back Lamical Perine is the team’s leading rusher. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH

Because you really like watching Florida and Michigan play each other for the third time in four seasons. Jim Harbaugh’s sideline emotions will be entertaining, but I can’t fake it for this preview. These teams should not be playing each other. Florida should be facing UCF and Michigan should be playing LSU.

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PLAYERS TO WATCH

Chris Evans, RB, Michigan: Evans gets to be the feature back with Karan Higdon skipping the bowl game to prep for the draft. Evans has 74 carries for 403 yards and four touchdowns in nine games this season. His best games of 2018 came against Western Michigan (86 yards) and SMU (85 yards), though he did score a receiving TD against Ohio State. Evans has had 10 or more carries in a game just four times. He’ll probably make it five times on Saturday.

Lamical Perine, RB, Florida: Perine, UF’s leading rusher with 750 yards and six TDs), really got going once September ended. After not recording more than seven carries in each of Florida’s first four games, Perine had 10 or more carries in every game the rest of the way (with the exception of the team’s layup against Idaho). Perine, who splits carries with Jordan Scarlett (717 yards) had 23 carries for 121 yards against Vanderbilt, 16 carries for 107 yards against South Carolina and 13 carries for 129 yards against Florida State.

Chris Evans (12) is Michigan’s leading rusher entering the Peach Bowl as Karan Higdon is skipping the game. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Chris Evans (12) is Michigan’s leading rusher entering the Peach Bowl as Karan Higdon is skipping the game. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

WHAT’S ON THE LINE

Michigan: The Wolverines haven’t won a bowl game since the Citrus Bowl following the 2015 season. That was Jim Harbaugh’s first season at the school.

Florida: The Gators are going for their first 10-win season since 2015. That would be a nice accomplishment in Dan Mullen’s first season as head coach.

PREDICTIONS

Nick Bromberg: Michigan 20, Florida 16
Sam Cooper: Michigan 24, Florida 20
Pat Forde: Florida 23, Michigan 21

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

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