The Mississippi State Bulldogs are going to play the Michigan Wolverines in the Gator Bowl on New Years Day. The game will be played at 1:30 ET and will be aired on ESPN2.
Mississippi State is one of only two SEC schools that have never been to the Gator Bowl. The other is Kentucky. The last time that an SEC team participated in the Gator Bowl was in 1994 with Tennessee.
This game will also mark the first time that the Bulldogs have faced a Big 10 opponent in post season play.
Here's a quote from AD Scott Stricklin:
"We are excited to receive an invitation to play in the Gator Bowl, and we look forward to our trip to Jacksonville. I want to congratulate our players and coaches, they have been great all season long. And I want to thank our fans, whose support was very evident to Gator Bowl officials throughout this process."
Dan Mullen:
"This is a great reward for our players and coaches that worked so hard all year. We earned this trip with the way we fought throughout the season and we’re grateful to the Gator Bowl Association and the City of Jacksonville for this opportunity to play in a historic New Year’s Day Bowl."
Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez:
"We are excited about the opportunity to play a very good Mississippi State team in the Gator Bowl. They run a first-class operation and our players will really enjoy the experience. I've always enjoyed my previous experiences at the Gator Bowl. Mississippi State is a great team and has been consistently ranked among the top 25 this season. Dan Mullen and his staff have done an outstanding job. It should be a great matchup and we look forward to playing them on New Year's Day."
For more information, visit http://www.gatorbowl.com/