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The Outback & Citrus Bowls like to stick to picking a strict set of the same teams over and over again - Michigan, Florida, Iowa, LSU, S.C., Georgia, etc. I was rooting for Michigan to face Stanford in the Holiday Bowl. Very much would've looked forward to how the trench warfare between those two teams would've played out.

As for this game, Michigan has plenty of reason to better their average record and I expect them to play motivated and low out a team that isn't as good as their W/L record and is essentially the same Florida team that Michigan has already blown out twice in recent seasons.

USCe is better than I expected preseason and was getting better over the season.  They stood up to UGA in Athens fairly well (24-10) and slowed the Dawgs down on the ground.  Clemson beat them rather handily of course.

They are decent on defense and their QB is solid, if not spectacular, and has some wheels.

Michigan of course is solid on defense and should be able to keep USC around 10 points and should be able to score 17 or so at least I think.  This isn't a great matchup for USCe IMHO.

Easily the most favorable Big Ten bowl matchup

So....South Carolina fires their OC today, less than 4 weeks from their bowl game. Kinda strange, no? Don't teams usually wait until after the bowls and NSD to make staff changes?

Mo Hurst Jr to play in the bowl game. Consider me shocked. Glad he's helping the team, but I can't help but think he's making a big mistake.

Taylor Lewan was giving Clowney the business one on one most of that game.
So naturally, in a critical spot in the game in the 4th QTR- Borges calls a play where Taylor Lewan is suppose to run down to block the DT next to Clowney and the TE/FB are suppose to take on Clowney together. Except neither the TE or FB ever touch Clowney and he goes completely untouched and blows up a 5'6, 165 pound RB.
One of the most overrated plays in history if you ask me. He was literally not even touched. TE/FB blew their blocking assignments. Not like he made some amazing play to beat a double team. Wasn't touched at all and blew up a 5'6, 165 pound RB. That's what someone with his talent should do every single play if they aren't touched.

Horrible call, horrible execution. You put your best man on Clowney- which was Lewan- and you man him up all game long- never take him off. Stupid call by Borges, stupid execution by the TE/FB.

Apparently a fight broke out during the bowling event last night between the teams.  Good, maybe the game will have a little extra juice now.

yeah, saw that. in the grand scheme of things, don't think it'll matter much. I think these sort of things are over-hyped.
S&P+ likes Michigan by 9.5 points I think it was.

Peters is getting the start, and has looked sharp in practices according to all the sources. Sounds like the Patterson transfer may have lit a fire under his ass. Always liked what I saw out of Peters. He wasn't asked to do very much and that OL was pretty much sh@!t at pass blocking so it's really hard to tell how good he can be, but I like the raw material that's there a hell of a lot better than what Speight or O'Korn had.

Michigan's OL was in the top 10 in adjusted run block according to the S&P+. The OL was in the 100's in adjusted pass blocking. If the Michigan OL can get their sh@!t together and give Peters some protection, I think Michigan more than likely wins by a comfortable margin. Kinda a big if though, because the pass protection has been terrible all year long.