The Michigan State Spartans are probably one of the only teams in the country that aren't necessarily looking forward to their trip to the Sunshine State this bowl season. They have to take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2012 Outback Bowl, and just the site of the sign that says "Welcome to Florida" has to make Sparty want to cringe.
Michigan State has played in bowl games in Florida six times in team history, and it only has one win, a 37-34 victory over the Florida Gators in the Florida Citrus Bowl. Last year, the team was back at the Citrus Bowl once again for the Capital One Bowl against the Alabama Crimson Tide, and it was embarrassed 49-7 in a game that wasn't ever really close. The hope is that this year, the team doesn't find itself in a similar situation against another team that is severely underrated.
Last bowl season, the Bulldogs were in big trouble, as they finished the season out becoming the first SEC team to lose to a Conference USA team in the Liberty Bowl when they put together an ugly showing against the UCF Knights. The pressure only turned up over the course of the first two games of this year, as UGA was beaten by the Boise State Broncos and South Carolina Gamecocks. Head Coach Mark Richt was literally probably days away from being fired, but he turned the team around and won 10 straight games before losing in the SEC Championship Game to the LSU Tigers in a loss that has absolutely no shame attached to it.
QB Aaron Murray is a fantastic signal caller in the making, and he is going to be building on what should be a great career "Between the Hedges." This is the end of his sophomore season, and he already has broken the record for most passing touchdowns in a single season this year with 33 scores, and he already third in Georgia history for passing touchdowns in a career and is sixth in school history for most passing yards in a career.
The Bulldogs are clearly riding high going into this game, and they are getting the 3.5 point nod at Bookmaker Sportsbook on the Outback Bowl odds. The 'total' has dropped dramatically from 54 all the way down to 50, and it could dip further as we approach kickoff.
