Game Name: | Peach Bowl |
Subheader: | CFP New Year's Six 51st Peach Bowl |
Title Sponsor: | Chick-fil-A |
Date Game Played: | December 29 |
Year Game Played: | 2018 |
Football Season: | 2018 |
Stadium: | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
City: | Atlanta, Georgia |
Visitor School: | University of Florida |
Visitor Name Short: | Florida |
Visitor Nickname: | Gators |
Visitor Record: | 9–3 |
Visitor Conference: | SEC |
Visitor Rank Ap: | 10 |
Visitor Rank Coaches: | 10 |
Visitor Rank Cfp: | 10 |
Visitor Coach: | Dan Mullen |
Visitor 1Q: | 3 |
Visitor 2Q: | 10 |
Visitor 3Q: | 14 |
Visitor 4Q: | 14 |
Home School: | University of Michigan |
Home Name Short: | Michigan |
Home Nickname: | Wolverines |
Home Record: | 10–2 |
Home Conference: | Big Ten |
Home Rank Ap: | 8 |
Home Rank Coaches: | 8 |
Home Rank Cfp: | 7 |
Home Coach: | Jim Harbaugh |
Home 1Q: | 7 |
Home 2Q: | 3 |
Home 3Q: | 0 |
Home 4Q: | 5 |
Mvp: | Feleipe Franks (QB, Florida) C. J. Gardner-Johnson (DB, Florida)[1] |
Odds: | Michigan by 7.5[2] |
Referee: | Mike Defee (Big 12) |
Attendance: | 74,006 |
Payout: | 4 million to each team[3] |
Us Network: | ESPN and ESPN Radio |
Us Announcers: | Bob Wischusen (play-by-play) Brock Huard (analyst) Allison Williams (sideline) (ESPN) Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic (ESPN Radio) |
Ratings: | 5.3[4] |
Intl Network: | ESPN Deportes |
Intl Announcers: | Roger Valdivieso Alex Pombo |
Different Previous: | 2018 (Jan.) |
The 2018 Peach Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 29, 2018. It was the 51st edition of the Peach Bowl, and the second Peach Bowl to be played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game was one of the College Football Playoff New Year's Six bowl games, and one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS football season. Sponsored by the Chick-fil-A restaurant franchise, the game was officially known as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
The game featured the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference and the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference. Going in to the bowl, Florida was the highest-ranked team that did not appear in the preseason AP top 25 poll. Michigan's defense had given up an average of 263 yards per game, the best in the nation.[5]
The game featured the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference in their fifth meeting against each other. Michigan had won each of its prior games against Florida, most recently in the 2017 Advocare Classic by a score of 33–17.[6]
See main article: 2018 Florida Gators football team. After finishing their regular season with a 9–3 record (5–3 in conference), the Gators were selected to their third Peach Bowl appearance. This was their 44th bowl game appearance.[7]
See main article: 2018 Michigan Wolverines football team. After finishing their regular season with a 10–2 record (8–1 in conference), the Wolverines were selected to their first Peach Bowl appearance. This was their 47th bowl game appearance, tied for 11th-highest total all-time among FBS schools.[8] Several Michigan players, including RB Karan Higdon, DL Rashan Gary, and LB Devin Bush Jr., sat out the game in order to focus on the 2019 NFL draft.[9]
Note: 74,006 was the officially announced attendance figure;[10] "turnstile count" subsequently reported as 68,413.[11]