The 2018 Peach Bowl will pit the SEC and Big Ten Conference against each other this season in a New Year’s Six matchup. Florida will face Michigan on Dec. 29 (Noon ET, ESPN). Here is the 2018 Peach Bowl preview:

No. 10 Florida Gators (9-3)

Dan Mullen has made Gator fans forget about the dismal 4-7 season of 2017 by bringing Florida back to a bowl. The Gators beat LSU and also won at Mississippi State, however, there is still work to be done.

Photo by orlandosentinel.com

Feleipe Franks is Florida’s quarterback for the moment, but it would not be a surprise to see freshman Emory Jones in this game as well. Running backs Lamical Perine and Jordan Scarlett have combined for 1,467 rushing yards for an offense that averaged 46.3 points while beating South Carolina, Idaho and Florida State in the final three weeks of the regular season.

Defensively, the Gators have reason to feel good about things after holding six opponents to fewer than 20 points, and four to 10 or less this season. Defensive lineman Jachai Polite earned first-team All-SEC honors with a season resume that includes 11 sacks, 16 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles.

Florida has enjoyed success in its recent bowl appearances, winning six of the last eight.

No. 8 Michigan Wolverines (10-2)

The million dollar question heading into the Peach Bowl is just how motivated will Michigan be after being throttled 62-39 at Ohio State to close the regular season? It will be more than a month since that debacle, so the Wolverines can regroup and mentally reload.

Photo by deadspin.com

Whether Jim Harbaugh’s team can do both remains to be seen. One thing’s for certain, Michigan is the more talented team and won 10 in a row prior to the loss at Columbus.

Shea Patterson was solid under center, completing 65.1 percent of his passes with 21 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Karan Higdon, meanwhile, rushed for 1,178 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Despite being embarrassed by the Buckeyes, Michigan still has one of the toughest defenses in the land, even without standout defensive end Rashan Gary, and led by linebacker Devin Bush. Prior to Ohio State, the Wolverines never allowed more than 24 points in any game.

Prediction

The Wolverines are 4-0 against Florida, with three of those meetings in bowl games. However, it remains to be seen how fragile Michigan’s collective psyche is after the Ohio State incident. Florida looks like a program on the rise, but the Wolverines pride and talent should win out in Atlanta.

Michigan 22, Florida 17

 Rankings reflect The Associated Press Top 25

Make sure to check out our college football page for more updates and rankings.

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