Michigan
7th Big Ten7-5
Mississippi State
6th SEC8-4
Michigan @ Mississippi State preview
TIAA Bank Field
The Skinny: When first announced, this looked like a battle between two coaches who might not be at their respective schools for much longer. One, Michigan’s Rich Rodriguez, is on the hot seat after another down year in Ann Arbor. Brought in three years ago to resurrect a program that had slipped to 9-4 in Lloyd Carr’s final season, Rodriguez is now hoping to keep his job after his team faded down the stretch again and got blasted by Ohio State in its final regular season game.
Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen was rumored to be on the move too. He's considered a hot commodity after turning the Bulldogs into a top-25 team and leading them into their second bowl game in the last 10 years. His name was mentioned in connection to the Miami and Florida openings, but Mullen appears to be settled in Starkville for the time being.
Rodriguez's future, however, is yet to be determined.
Point Spread: Mississippi State -5. Over/Under 59.5.
Michigan’s Edge: The Wolverines often need to outscore teams to win and quarterback Denard Robinson has been capable of doing that by himself at times this season. The Big Ten Player of the Year, Robinson set the FBS single-season rushing record for a quarterback with 1,643 yards and ranks third nationally in total offense at 329.9 yards per game.
Mississippi State’s Edge: The running game. Running back Vick Ballard and quarterback Chris Relf could eat up chunks of yardage against the Wolverines' porous defense, keeping Robinson off the field. One star of that running game is offensive tackle Derek Sherrod, a possible NFL draft pick and the anchor to a rushing attack that averages 215.8 yards per game.
The Quarterbacks: The sophomore Robinson took over for Tate Forcier at the beginning of the season and has passed for 2,316 yards and 16 touchdowns in addition to his gaudy rushing numbers. He is completing 62 percent of his passes and averaging more than 9 yards per attempt.
The Bulldogs' Relf will be going up against the 111th-ranked passing defense in the nation. Relf came on at the end of the season, passing for a season-high 288 yards and three touchdowns in a win over rival Ole Miss on Nov. 27. He also rushed for 683 yards and four touchdowns in 2010.
NFL Prospects: Michigan — C David Molk, G Steve Schilling, OLB Jonas Mouton, S Troy Woolfork, ILB Obi Ezeh, NT Mike Martin. Mississippi State — OT Derek Sherrod, DE Pernell McPhee, OLB Kenneth Wright.
Bowl history: Michigan will be playing it’s first bowl under Rodriguez and is 19-20 all-time in bowl games. A four-year losing streak was snapped in the 2007 Capital One Bowl, when the Wolverines sent Lloyd Carr out with a 41-35 win over Florida.
Mississippi State is 7-6 all-time, having last played in the 2007 Liberty Bowl and earning a 10-3 win over Central Florida.
Etc.: Many believe an embarrassing performance against the Bulldogs could be the final straw for Rodriguez. Special teams are also a big concern for the Wolverines going into New Year’s Day.
Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen was rumored to be on the move too. He's considered a hot commodity after turning the Bulldogs into a top-25 team and leading them into their second bowl game in the last 10 years. His name was mentioned in connection to the Miami and Florida openings, but Mullen appears to be settled in Starkville for the time being.
Rodriguez's future, however, is yet to be determined.
Point Spread: Mississippi State -5. Over/Under 59.5.
Michigan’s Edge: The Wolverines often need to outscore teams to win and quarterback Denard Robinson has been capable of doing that by himself at times this season. The Big Ten Player of the Year, Robinson set the FBS single-season rushing record for a quarterback with 1,643 yards and ranks third nationally in total offense at 329.9 yards per game.
Mississippi State’s Edge: The running game. Running back Vick Ballard and quarterback Chris Relf could eat up chunks of yardage against the Wolverines' porous defense, keeping Robinson off the field. One star of that running game is offensive tackle Derek Sherrod, a possible NFL draft pick and the anchor to a rushing attack that averages 215.8 yards per game.
The Quarterbacks: The sophomore Robinson took over for Tate Forcier at the beginning of the season and has passed for 2,316 yards and 16 touchdowns in addition to his gaudy rushing numbers. He is completing 62 percent of his passes and averaging more than 9 yards per attempt.
The Bulldogs' Relf will be going up against the 111th-ranked passing defense in the nation. Relf came on at the end of the season, passing for a season-high 288 yards and three touchdowns in a win over rival Ole Miss on Nov. 27. He also rushed for 683 yards and four touchdowns in 2010.
NFL Prospects: Michigan — C David Molk, G Steve Schilling, OLB Jonas Mouton, S Troy Woolfork, ILB Obi Ezeh, NT Mike Martin. Mississippi State — OT Derek Sherrod, DE Pernell McPhee, OLB Kenneth Wright.
Bowl history: Michigan will be playing it’s first bowl under Rodriguez and is 19-20 all-time in bowl games. A four-year losing streak was snapped in the 2007 Capital One Bowl, when the Wolverines sent Lloyd Carr out with a 41-35 win over Florida.
Mississippi State is 7-6 all-time, having last played in the 2007 Liberty Bowl and earning a 10-3 win over Central Florida.
Etc.: Many believe an embarrassing performance against the Bulldogs could be the final straw for Rodriguez. Special teams are also a big concern for the Wolverines going into New Year’s Day.