A pretty good look at the Citrus Bowl from a U of M sportswriter.

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/football/

This season, how eager is either team to be in this game? Both missed out on loftier goals. Each entered its final regular-season game with a chance to be the champion (or co-champion) of its conference. Each lost and settled for a bowl bid that is not nearly what it had in mind. U-M would have been playing in the Sugar Bowl had it not lost to Ohio State. Tennessee had even more at stake: It would have been playing Miami (Florida) in the Rose Bowl for the national title had it not lost Saturday to Louisiana State...

...All that said, there is a good reason to like U-M's chances in this game: Attitude. When it comes to bowl games, U-M is all business. The Wolverines are disappointed with their performance in the loss to Ohio State, but they know they can soothe some of those feelings with a win in this game. Expect the Wolverines to deliver a maximum effort on New Year's Day.
On the flip side, one Knoxville (Tenn.) sports columnist pointed out Monday that in recent years, the Volunteers have taken bowl games lightly if there is not a lot at stake. Coach Phil Fulmer's 5-4 bowl record, including losses in three of the last four postseason games, has raised questions about preparation, practice, scheduling and motivation for non-championship bowl games. Tennessee's only win in that time gave them the national title following the 1998 season.
...Fulmer promised Sunday that his team will approach this game with all the seriousness of every game it plays. He added that his players better be excited or "we'll get the pants beat off of us."
He later said: "If you aren't going to play in the Rose Bowl, this is about as good as it gets."
The question is: Does anyone besides Citrus Bowl officials believe him?

I'm far from a UT supporter. However, UT is going to win by 7-10 points. They're that much better athletically than Michigan.

Even if UT plays their worst game of the season, UT will out-quick, and this year, out-physical Michigan.

Sorry.

Hopefully UT will plan to show up for the stupid game

Sorry, what will get TN in trouble is what lies between their ears...or their coaching staff.

This is an off year for UM, they lost Drew Henson and have had trouble filling that role. They can't throw and can't catch. Other than that, their great.

I think it all depends on which TN team shows up. UM is very physical. They are much more physical than LSU. If TN is not able to get their head together, they are in for a long day.

This was an off year for TN too, the only people we lose this year are the D. Line and Travis. Washington, Stallworth, and Casey are going to rain hell on everyone next year

"they are much more physical than LSU"

A complete joke. OSU beat you like a red-headed step-child. Michigan is comparable to South Carolina on both sides of the ball.

That's why Tennessee will win.

Michigan sucks. I have never met a person from Michigan that didn't annoy the piss out of me.
Especially when it comes to their opinion of their
sorry football team. Michigan has always sucked.
I'd love to see them play in the SEC. Don't give me a bunch of stats about Michigans record against SEC teams either. If they lined up against Tennessee or
Florida every week, they would go 0-11. That goes for any other Little 10 team as well. Tennessee wins that
game big, even if they don't show up.

Wouldnt it be great it TN just pounded the hell out of UM to shut up those fiends up north. SEC will always dominate over Big Ten.

"Michigan is comparable to South Carolina on both sides of the ball."

I agree but at least USC has a good coach on the sideline while UM has Carr. That's another reason UT will win by 10+ points.

The Big Ten really is down this year and they'll be exposed in the bowl season. But the notion that the SEC has always owned the Big Ten is ridiculous. If I'm not mistaken, the Big Ten has beaten the hell out of the SEC in bowls the last couple years.

The BIG TEN has:

1) Beaten SEC teams head to head both during the past ten years and back to Adam and Eve.

2) Produced more National Championship teams then the SEC.

3) Produced more Heisman Trophy winners than the SEC

4) Produced more NFL players and NFL pro-bowl players.

5) Pissed off JB more than any other conference.

Tell me when the last time the "little ten" pissed off a Tennessee fan. Not the heisman, but on the field. I can't remember ...can you. It's pissed me off more than any other conference??????!!!!!!
Tell me when!!