Two of college football's most storied programs will face off in Tampa on New Year's Eve, while the Florida Gators also secured a bowl bid in Tampa.
Michigan (Big Ten Conference) and Alabama (Southeastern Conference) will play in the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium, while the Gators (SEC) take on Tulane (American Athletic Conference) in the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec, 20.
Alabama (9-3) received the bid after ranking 11th in the final College Football Playoff rankings but not being included in the 12-team tournament to determine a national champion.
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Michigan (7-5) was not ranked in the AP Top 25 but defeated then-No. 7-ranked Ohio State 13-10 on Nov. 30.
"We are excited and honored to represent the University of Michigan and the Big Ten Conference in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa," Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said. "This is a great opportunity for our team to finish the season against an outstanding SEC opponent in Alabama. We look forward to competing against Coach Kalen DeBoer and his highly ranked Crimson Tide."
The game will be a rematch of last season's CFP semifinal game at the Rose Bowl, won by Michigan 27-20 to cap off a 13-0 season — Jim Harbaugh's last as Wolverines coach.
"We are looking forward to the opportunity to play a really good Michigan team in Tampa on New Year's Eve," said DeBoer, Alabama's first-year coach. "This will be a matchup of two blue-blood programs in a great venue that our fans will enjoy."
The Gators (7-5) earned their 31st bowl appearance in the last 35 games by finishing the season with three straight wins — against top 25 teams LSU and Ole Miss, and rival Florida State.
The University of Miami also earned a bowl bid. The 13th-ranked Hurricanes (10-2) will take on No. 18 Iowa State (10-3) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando on Dec. 28 at 3:30 p.m. (TV: ABC).
Earlier, the University of South Florida (6-6) accepted a bid to play in the Hawaii Bowl against San Jose State (7-5) on Dec. 24 (8 p.m., ESPN).
ESPN will carry the ReliaQuest Bowl starting at noon Dec. 31. Click here to purchase tickets.
The Gasparilla Bowl will be telecast on ESPN2 at 3:30 p.m. Click here to purchase tickets.
