The Miami Hurricanes and Wisconsin Badgers have been selected to play in this year’s Champs Sports Bowl. This year’s game is set to take place December 29th at 8:00 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN.
No. 14/15 Miami will head north on the Florida Turnpike for its final game after posting a 9-3 record (6-4 ACC). The Hurricanes rely on one of the better passing offenses in the nation, ranking 27th and averaging 268.1 yards per game behind sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris. The ‘Canes are also stout on defense, ranking 26th nationally and allowing an average of 321.3 yards per game.
Surprisingly, Miami’s appearance is its first ever at an Orlando bowl game. UM twice played in the early editions of the Champs Sports Bowl (1996 Carquest Bowl and the 1998 MicronPC Bowl), but those games were at the bowl’s original home in Miami. Though the ‘Canes have never played in an Orlando bowl, the game will mark the second time this season that they will have played a game in Orlando and will be the 10th game on the slate this year in the Sunshine State.
This is the fourth time in five years that the No. 24/22 Badgers are headed to the Orlando. After posting a 9-3 record (5-3 Big Ten), Wisconsin will enter the postseason riding a 51-10 win in the regular season finale over Hawai’i. The Badgers, led by QB Scott Tolzien, was tops in the conference in scoring offense (32.8 ppg) and boast the Big Ten’s top rusher in running back John Clay (116.3 ypg).
This year’s meeting will be the fourth all-time between these two schools, but the first since 1989. The Badgers won the first meeting between the two schools back in 1958, but the Hurricanes grabbed consecutive wins in a two-game series in ’88 and ’89.
