The 2018 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl features two top-10 teams and its first SEC vs. Big 10 matchup in almost three decades.
Michigan and Florida, ranked No. 7 and No. 10 respectively, will clash at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Dec. 29. The game will kickoff at noon and be broadcast on ESPN.
Two of the most acclaimed programs in the country, the schools have combined for 14 national titles, 50 conference titles and six Heisman Trophy winners. Their contest will begin the New Year’s Six slate.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have Michigan-Florida, two top 10 teams in the country, two of biggest brands in college football,” said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl CEO and president.
It marks Michigan’s first appearance in the game. Florida has been twice but not since 2004. Michigan is 4-0 all-time against the Gators, most recently winning 33-17 last season.
These Wolverines lead the nation in total defense, but their College Football Playoff bid was spoiled by losses to a pair of top six teams: Notre Dame and Ohio State. Still, Stokan believes the Peach Bowl is an excellent arena for head coach Jim Harbaugh to continue restoring Michigan to past glory as an annual contender.
Meanwhile, Dan Mullen revived Florida in Year 1 of his tenure. It surpassed most expectations with a 9-3 record, losing to Kentucky, Georgia and Missouri. The offense, much maligned since Tim Tebow’s graduation, appears to be on the right track while the defense is still among the SEC’s better units.
“This is the launching pad for the Dan Mullen era and the greatness of the University of Florida in football,” Stokan said. “If they can beat Michigan, that’s certainly something Dan will point to in building his program.”
They’ll need every bit of that rejuvenated offense against the Wolverines, who’ve held eight of 12 opponents to season-low totals in yards. The group is complemented well by quarterback Shea Patterson, who completed 65 percent of his throws and only threw five interceptions.
Florida has already defeated a top 10 opponent (LSU) and has multiple ranked wins, making Mullen the only first-year coach to achieve such this season. Like Michigan, the Gators win behind their defense, which ranks 12th against the pass and 26th against the run, while trying to manage the game with quarterback Feleipe Franks and a versatile stable of running backs.
Each side receives 13,000 tickets, with additional seats added. The initial inventory is already sold out, Peach Bowl executives said, which makes 20 sellouts in the past 22 years.
“To have the all-time winningest program in college football history square off against a perennial SEC power will be the perfect way to close out yet another thrilling college football season,” said Bob Somers, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl chairman, in a press release.
Stokan pointed out this extends the quality of teams appearing at Mercedes-Benz in the past year, which includes the national championship (Alabama over Georgia), the Kickoff Game (Auburn over Washington) and Saturday’s SEC championship (Alabama over Georgia).
“We’re bringing elite teams, elite games to Atlanta,” he said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better matchup for our first Big 10 vs. SEC game in 28 years with two top-10 teams.”
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