Citrus Bowl Preview: Florida vs Michigan TV info, live stream, odds, prediction

Jim Harbaugh brings his Michigan Wolverines to the Citrus Bowl to take on Jim McElwain and SEC East champion Florida Gators on New Year’s Day.

The Michigan Wolverines and Florida Gators ended their forgettable 2014 seasons by firing their head coaches. While the Gators turned to offensive guru and former Alabama coordinator, Jim McElwain, Michigan brought charismatic and former NFC champion Jim Harbaugh back to his alma mater. And there can be no complaints about how either hire has panned out leading into the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.

Related Story: Picking Every Bowl Game Against The Spread

A year after a 5-7 season under Brady Hoke, Harbaugh has returned the young Wolverines to national prominence, but are coming off a blowout loss to rival Ohio State. For Florida, going to the SEC Championship in McElwain’s first season has blown away previous expectations. The Gators, however, have suffered two tough losses and have been futile on offense.

So who will end their season a high note? Who will turn it around and bring back the magic before their late-season collapse?

Michigan will be coming in pretty heated after their embarrassing 42-13 loss against Ohio State. Aside from their opening week loss to Utah, the only two losses Michigan had were against their top two opponents (and rivals), the Buckeyes and Michigan State. But with big wins in top-25 matchups against Northwestern and BYU,   they’ve also cruised to some quality wins.

Florida would be another one of those for the Wolverines. On offense, Jake Rudock has gradually progressed. After starting with three interceptions against Utah in the opener, the Michigan quarterback threw six touchdowns against Indiana. He’ll have three receivers with over 600 yards to throw to, including x-factor tight end Jake Butt.

The defense for the Wolverines have carried it for the better part of the season. The fourth-ranked squad in the country, the Wolverines have a trio of defenders over five sacks, and several other talented defenders in all three phases.

The Gators also arrive with a top-10 defense, led by future first-rounder Vernon Hargreaves at cornerback. With Antonio Morrison at linebacker and a solid pass attack led by Jon Bullard. They will be missing Alex McCalister, likely their best pass-rusher, who was dismissed by the team last week.

But for as good as Florida is on defense, their offense has sputtered ever since the loss of quarterback Will Grier to a PED suspension. Treon Harris, his replacement, has struggled mightily. After poor performances against FSU and Alabama, he’ll need to turn it around quick and get plenty of help from running back Kelvin Taylor.

For Michigan, stopping Taylor and forcing Harris to throw will all but guarantee victory. A couple touchdowns early would allow them to put this game away early. For Florida, they need Taylor to find plenty of holes on the line along with having their defense continue its success, especially in the secondary.

Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl information

• Date: Friday, January 1st
• Time: 1:00 PM ET
• Location: Orlando, Florida
• TV: ABC
• Live Stream: WatchESPN
• Spread: Michigan – 4.5

Prediction

In the end, Florida’s offense can’t be trusted, and facing another top defense like Michigan isn’t going to help. Michigan isn’t particularly threatening on offense, either, but it won’t take much against a team that only has 14 points-per-game in their last five.

More saturday blitz: 50 Greatest College Football Rivalries of All-Time

Look for the defenses to dominate early, and for Michigan to methodically pull away with a win in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.