Citrus Bowl 2016: Michigan vs. Florida TV Schedule, Time and Odds

Once-dormant juggernauts on the rise meet in Friday's Citrus Bowl between the No. 14 Michigan Wolverines and No. 19 Florida Gators.

For the most part, Jim Harbaugh has Wolverines faithful forgetting about shaky recent history, though they will have to wait longer for potential upsets against Michigan State and Ohio State.

Jim McElwain has done much to purge the sour taste left by Will Muschamp-led Florida teams, though like Harbaugh, he'll have to hope for next season and beyond to bring success against rivals such as Florida State.

Regardless, another strong Big Ten-SEC showdown helps kick in the new year the right way as Coach of the Year candidates collide while their programs climb back toward the top of the ladder.

Game Details

When: Friday, January 1, at 1 p.m. ET

Where: Orlando Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida

Television: ABC

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Over/Under: 39

Spread: Michigan (-4)

Team Injury Reports

NAME	POS	STATUS
Jabrill Peppers	S	Prob Fri
Jake Rudock	QB	Prob Fri
Brian Cole	WR	Ques Fri
Derrick Green	RB	Ques Fri
Ryan Glasgow	DL	Out for season
Drake Harris	WR	Ques Fri
Mario Ojemudia	DE	Out for season
Tyrone Wheatley	TE	Out indefinitely
Bryan Mone	DT	Ques Fri

NAME	POS	STATUS
Brandon Powell	WR	Ques Fri
Will Grier	QB	Out for season

Injury reports courtesy of USA Today.

Show and Tell 

Michigan wants the world to know it's back. 

There's little arguing with the statement. Harbaugh has the Wolverines on track to win 10 games for the first time since 2011 after six wins in the Big Ten.

It could have been more, too, had then-No. 7 Michigan State not blocked a punt late in an October loss to their in-state rivals or if the Wolverines had shown up in an ugly 42-13 loss to then-No. 8 Ohio State to close the season.

Regardless, the Wolverines see Friday as a chance to announce their return, with defensive lineman Chris Wormley telling Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com, "We want to show the SEC what Michigan football's all about."

He certainly wasn't alone.

"You hear it all the time, that the SEC has the best conference and you get a little bit fed up with that," senior linebacker James Ross III said, according to Baumgardner. "We think our football's great also in the Big Ten. It's definitely a representation of the Big Ten down here."

To nail the point home, Michigan will lean on a defense that ranked 11th in the nation with just 17.2 points allowed per game. The offense will lean on quarterback Jake Rudock, who completed 64 percent of his passes this year with 17 touchdowns to nine interceptions.

Intent on not struggling in their biggest games once again, look for the Wolverines to come out swinging for the fences.

Finishing Strong 

As impressive a job as Harbaugh has done, McElwain might just deserve more credit.

Never mind wading through the SEC Michigan seems to use as a measuring stick, McElwain lost former starting quarterback Will Grier to suspension in the middle of the season. With the snap of a finger, gone went a 65.8 completion percentage, 1,204 yards and 10 touchdowns to three interceptions.

The Florida offense hasn't been the same since under the guidance of Treon Harris, who has completed 51.9 percent of his passes for 1,530 yards and nine touchdowns to five interceptions.

As such, the Gators have leaned on NFL-bound back Kelvin Taylor more than ever, and he's answered with 985 yards and 13 scores backed by a defense allowing just 16.5 points per game.

Each of Florida's three losses hurt just as much as anything Michigan suffered. Coming up short in 35-28 fashion at then-No. 6 LSU in October hurt, but worse was the 27-2 throttling at the hands of then-No. 13 Florida State before the 29-15 dismissal by then-No. 2 Alabama to close the season.

"We haven't finished the season quite like we wanted to and definitely don't intend on having the seniors go out with a loss," junior defensive end Jordan Sherit said, according to John Kosik of STATS LLC (via Yahoo.com).

Those in charge of bowl season have gifted Florida with a chance to put an exclamation point on quite the encouraging season derailed by controversy at quarterback. It'll come down to the veteran leaders showing the next generation the way.

Prediction

Florida doesn't have the firepower to hang close with Michigan against such a strong defense. 

Were Harris a little more consistent and careful with the football, this might be a different story. But the Florida offense has sputtered without Grier, and as great as Taylor might be, getting funneled into a one-dimensional attack won't work.

Look for Rudock to put up decent numbers as his defense gets him the ball in solid field position most of the day. Michigan won't have problems sitting on the lead so long as the defense can force a few turnovers.

Prediction: Michigan 24, Florida 20

Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified. All betting information courtesy of Odds Shark.