The Michigan Wolverines and the South Carolina Gamecocks will kick off the last day of bowl games at the 2017 Outback Bowl in Raymond James Stadium. The game is scheduled to start on Monday, January 1st at 12 p.m. EST and can be seen on the ESPN2 Network. Currently, line-setters have the Wolverines as a -7.5 point favorite and the over/under is now at 42.5.
The Michigan Wolverines were expected to compete deep into the Big Ten schedule. Instead, their offense sputtered throughout 2017 and gave little support to their talented defense. As a result, the Wolverines finished off their regular season with an 8-4 record. They also went 4-4 in the Big Ten Conference. Jim Harbaugh is certainly not on the hot seat but losses to Ohio State and Michigan State have some folks in Ann Arbour concerned.
The South Carolina Gamecocks also will enter the Outback Bowl with an 8-4 record. Unfortunately, they lost two of their last four games to finish off their season. On the bright side, those two games were to Clemson and to Georgia who is both in the College Football Playoffs. Either way, they will be facing off against the Wolverines to conclude their 2017 campaign.
Michigan Wolverines (8-4)
The Michigan Wolverines lost their last two games of the season against Wisconsin and Ohio State, continuing a long streak of not being able to take down AP top-10 opponents. This season, it was their offense that continually struggled to move the football and put points on the board. Quarterback John O’Korn eventually took over but his poor decisions didn’t improve the passing game. Overall, O’Korn completed only 53 percent of his passes for 956 yards with a meager two touchdowns and six picks.
The one thing the Wolverines could do on offense was run the football. Two tailbacks worked together to matriculate the ball down the field. Karan Higdon and Chris Evens teamed up for 273 carries for just under 1,600 yards and 17 touchdowns. Higdon had a team-high 929 yards and 11 trips to the back of the end zone. Evens had another 662 yards and six more scores.
The Michigan passing attack left a lot to be desired in 2017. No receiver even caught 30 balls and nobody but one wideout breached the 300-yard mark. Grant Perry was the front-runner with 307 yards, but he only reached pay-dirt one time. Tight end Sean McKeon led the squad with 29 catches for 285 yards and a team-high three touchdowns.
The heart and soul of the Wolverines was their defense. If not for them they would probably have had a losing season. Michigan is allowing 18.3 points (12th) and 268.6 yards per game 3rd). The secondary finished off their year as the top-ranked unit in the country. Linebacker Devin Bush leads the Michigan Wolverines with 94 tackles, Chase Winovich has eight sacks and corner Lavert Hill has two interceptions.
South Carolina (8-4)
The South Carolina Gamecocks have yet to lose back-to-back games this season. They also have a chance to win at least nine games for the first time since 2013. The Gamecocks have won four of their last five bowl appearances and look to make the Outback Bowl their fifth.
Quarterback Jake Bentley was hit or miss throughout the year. One has to consider that he faced off with some of the nation’s top defenses. Obviously, that will be the case once again against Michigan. In all, Bentley is completing 62.4 percent of his passes for 2,555 yards. He also has 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Bentley has one or fewer touchdown passes in each of his last six outings.
Both tailbacks A.J. Turner and Rico Dowdle suffered leg injuries at the end of the year. Turner is nursing an ankle injury while Dowdle suffered a fractured fibula. Both of them are listed as probable, which is huge considering their two of the top-three backs on the squad. Turner leads the unit with 517 yards on 92 carries and three scores. Dowdle added 206 yards and a score this season.
Like Michigan, South Carolina struggled to balance their offense with their passing attack. Two receivers really did most of the work, collecting 100 receptions for just over 1,200 yards and six touchdowns. Bryan Edwards was best on the team with 59 catches for just over 700 yards and four trips to the back of the end zone.
The Gamecocks defense wasn’t spectacular but they did have their moments in 2017. When the smoke cleared, they finished ranked 51st in the nation in total yards allowed (374). The secondary struggled, allowing 227 yards a game (70th). That shouldn’t be too much of an issue because the Wolverines can’t move the ball through the air. The front seven will have to do most of the heavy-lifting in this battle. They surrendered 146 yards a contest which is good for 43rd in the country.
Prediction
How in the world Las Vegas decided that the Michigan Wolverines should be favored over anybody in a bowl game by a touchdown and change is beyond me. Personally, I don’t think they deserved that because of the way they played throughout the year. I can’t foresee an offense that couldn’t move the ball on really anybody, figuring it out over the last two weeks. Especially against an SEC defense like South Carolina’s. With that being said, I think the obvious play here is to take the Gamecocks to cover the 7.5 points.
Look, the Gamecocks offense and the Wolverines offense probably won’t put up much of a fight against the defenses. That is exactly why oddsmakers have this total at 42.5. When you really think about it, it would be an accomplishment if either of these offenses could score more than 21 points. Even so, that figure is really low. Both of these defenses are capable of putting up points on the board themselves. Combine that with a special-teams score and a few big plays and that 42.5 could be breached by game’s end. Play this one safe and take the South Carolina Gamecocks to keep it close if not outright beat the Wolverines in the 2017 Outback Bowl on Monday.
To lay a wager on this game or any other bowl game that catches your eye, go to BetDSI Sportsbook to get it done.
Trends
The Wolverines are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games.
The Over is 8-2 in the Wolverines last 10 Bowl games.
The Gamecocks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Bowl games.
The Under is 8-3 in the Gamecocks last 11 games overall.
