ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The No. 18-ranked Michigan Wolverines will face the No. 13-ranked Texas Longhorns in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
The game was announced on Sunday (Dec. 7) during ESPN’s Bowl Selection Show, with Michigan appearing in its seventh Citrus Bowl and facing the Longhorns for the second postseason meeting.
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Michigan and Texas both finished the regular season at 9-3 and will look to win their 10th game of the year in the 80th edition of the historic Citrus Bowl.
The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl will be held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
The game between the Michigan Wolverines (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten) and the Texas Longhorns (9-3, 6-2 SEC) will kick off at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025.
Michigan aims for its 10th win of the season for the 33rd time in school history, and the fourth time in five seasons. The Wolverines have won five of their last six games entering the Citrus Bowl.
Defense
Michigan’s defense ranks among the nation’s best, standing 13th in rushing defense (101.7 yards per game), 16th in scoring defense (18.7 points per game), 19th in interceptions (13), and 22nd in total defense (213.3 yards per game).
Defensive standout Derrick Moore earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.
Cornerback Zeke Berry and linebacker Jimmy Rolder were second-team selections.
Moore led the Big Ten in sacks (10) during conference play, while Berry led in passes defended (nine). Rolder led Michigan with 69 tackles, including 7 tackles for loss.
Offense
Offensively, Michigan’s rushing attack ranks 16th nationally, averaging 213.2 yards per game.
Jordan Marshall (932 yards) and Justice Haynes (857 yards) led the ground game, with a Wolverine surpassing 100 rushing yards 12 times this season.
Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood completed 179 of 293 passes (61.1%) for 2,229 yards and nine touchdowns, contributing to a balanced offensive attack that gained 2,558 yards on the ground and 2,229 yards through the air.
Michigan holds a 4-2 record all-time in the Citrus Bowl, with previous appearances in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2016, and 2020.
The Wolverines have victories over Arkansas, Auburn, and Florida in the Citrus Bowl, with losses to Tennessee and Alabama.
This will be the second bowl meeting between Michigan and Texas.
Their previous postseason matchup came in the 2005 Rose Bowl, where Texas won 38-37 on a last-second field goal.
Michigan’s Braylon Edwards had 10 catches for 109 yards and three touchdowns in that game.
The Wolverines will look for some revenge after Texas came into the Big House during the 2024 season and boat raced them 31-12 while planting their flag on the Block M at the 50-yard line.
Additional Michigan bowl history highlights:
- Michigan will make its 54th bowl appearance, ranking 11th among FBS schools.
- This is Michigan’s seventh Citrus Bowl appearance with a 4-2 record in the game.
- The last Citrus Bowl appearance was a 35-16 loss to Alabama on Jan. 1, 2020.
- The last Citrus Bowl win was a 41-7 victory over Florida on Jan. 1, 2016.
- Michigan has a 0-1 bowl record against Texas.
- The Wolverines have played in 13 different bowl games, winning 24 bowl matchups, ranking 17th among FBS schools.
- This will be Michigan’s 20th bowl game against an SEC opponent, with a 10-9 record.
- Overall, Michigan has faced SEC teams 43 times, holding a 27-14-1 record.
- This will be Michigan’s 21st bowl game in Florida, with a 10-10 record in the state.