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Florida Football: 3 Reasons to Watch 2018 Peach Bowl vs. Michigan

By John Mitchell

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: Emory Jones #5 of the Florida Gators runs with the football during the second half of their game against the Idaho Vandals at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: Emory Jones #5 of the Florida Gators runs with the football during the second half of their game against the Idaho Vandals at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

2. How does Michigan bounce back?

Michigan opened as a seven point favorite in the Peach Bowl against Florida, but a lot of times non-playoff bowl games come down to something as simple as which team has the most motivation to actually play in the game.

For Florida, the motivation is clear. The Gators are eager to return to national prominence and announce themselves as serious contenders in the SEC in 2019. They could do that by getting a 10th win in a New Year’s Six bowl game over Michigan.

But what is Michigan’s motivation? The Wolverines were emasculated by their bitter rivals and saw their playoff and conference championship hopes aggressively ripped from their grasps. Harbaugh’s tenure in Ann Arbor has been plagued by an inability to capture a Big Ten Championship, and he’s now 0-4 against Urban Meyer.

Rashan Gary has already decided to sit out the bowl game, will other draft-eligible Michigan prospects follow suit? Guys like Devin Bush and Chase Winovich are potential first round prospects who could decide to follow Gary’s lead and begin preparation for the NFL Draft.

Michigan seems to have the better team, but will they have the requisite motivation to not sleepwalk through the game in Atlanta? Or will they struggle to get over the Ohio State loss and fall in the Peach Bowl, raising some serious questions heading into 2019?

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