The Kansas State Wildcats and the Michigan Wolverines will meet in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. The game is scheduled for a 10:15 p.m. start time on Saturday and it will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the odds for the game have the Wildcats favored in this matchup.
Both teams finished the season with disappointing 7-5 records. And despite both programs being around for awhile and having solid bowl history, they've never met on the football field. This will be Michigan's first time playing in this bowl game while the Wildcats have already played in three.
Brady Hoke took Michigan to a Sugar Bowl in his inaugural season but has stumbled the past two years. Bill Snyder rescued Kansas State from the depths of college football and the Wildcats will now be making their third straight appearance in a bowl game. The squad is kind of in a rebuilding stage as they are coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons. Colin Klein graduated after winning a ton of games for them the past few seasons.
Wolverine quarterback Devin Gardner has had an up and down season. He's made several key mistakes this year and Michigan is actually lucky to have won seven games.
UPDATE: Gardner will miss bowl game due to broken foot
The offensive line allowed 35 sacks this season, the most ever at Michigan. The Wolverines didn't run the football very well this season either, collecting just 131 yards on the ground per game, which is the lowest for the school since 1999.
Yet, Michigan's defense could be a big reason they'll be in this game. The Wolverines ranked 32nd in the country in total defense and will take on a Kansas State team that has won five of their last six games overall to finish the season. Jake Waters leads the Cats this season and has a dual-threat counterpart in Daniel Sams, who rushed for nearly 800 yards this season. The double quarterback thing has worked for Kansas State this year and could give Michigan some problems.
Both clubs have mobile quarterbacks, but the defenses should tell the story. Gardner busted up his foot in the loss against Ohio State and reportedly played the last few drives with a broken foot. Michigan will want to hand the ball off more in this game as we believe freshman tailback Derrick Green can have a big impact on the outcome.
Kansas State has a lot of momentum heading into this one and freshman Shane Morris will get the start for Michigan in this contest. Because of the freshman starting the game, Michigan's overall playbook will be much smaller. Kansas State and the Wildcat defense will get a win for Snyder in this contest if they are able to pressure Morris in this one.
Free Pick: Kansas State 27, Michigan 20
College Football Free Picks: Michigan vs Kansas State Betting
What college football bettors need to know about Michigan Wolverines vs Kansas State Wildcats in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl on Saturday (12/28/13) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Bryan Leonard with Ken Thomson.
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
RJ Bell Talks Daily Fantasy Sports — LISTEN on Soundcloud
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for CFB Season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!