The Florida Gators will square off with the Penn St. Nittany Lions in the Outback Bowl, scheduled for Jan. 1 at 1 p.m. in Tampa, Florida.
The Gators have played in three Outback Bowls since 2002, going 1-1 against the Iowa Hawkeyes and losing to the Michigan Wolverines. Penn State has played three times since 1995, winning each time. Last year’s epic pitted the Auburn Tigers against the Northwestern Wildcats, with the Tigers winning an overtime thriller.
Florida is 7-5, limited by a wildly sputtery offense and losing to four ranked teams on the year. The Nittany Lions are also 7-5, also losing four games to ranked teams — including a blowout loss to an SEC team, the Alabama Crimson Tide. For what it’s worth, Penn State came a few points closer against the Tide than did the Gators. This could be one sloppy game, as neither team has consistently put up points against quality defenses.