Michigan football set to play Texas in Citrus Bowl in Orlando
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After seeming like a formality for a few weeks, it’s official: Michigan football will face Texas in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 31, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Brett McMurphy of On3 was first to report the news.
This is the second year in a row the Wolverines will play an SEC team in a New Year’s Eve bowl in the Sunshine State: Last season, Sherrone Moore’s team defeated Alabama, 19-13, in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa.
The Wolverines and Longhorns will kick off their postseason matchup at 3 p.m. Dec. 31, with ESPN set to broadcast the matchup of two of college football’s winningest programs.
U-M’s shot at the College Football Playoff faltered in the final week of the regular season with a 27-9 loss to rival Ohio State, snapping a four-game winning streak over the Buckeyes (2021-24).
As a consolation prize, U-M gets a matchup with another college football blueblood – U-M leads all Division I teams with 1,021 victories while Texas is fifth, with 964 –and one that also lost to Ohio State this season. The Wolverines are seeking their fourth 10-win season in five years.
Texas (9-3), led by coach Steve Sarkisian, had an inconsistent 2025 campaign with quarterback Arch Manning, nephew of NFL stars Peyton and Eli Manning, finally starting in his third season in Austin. The year started with a tight loss in Columbus, 14-7, before Texas won its final three nonconference games.
The campaign hit a low point with a 29-21 loss to SEC foe Florida – one of just two Gator wins in league play – before the Longhorns ripped off four straight victories in conference. UT’s CFP hopes were ended by a 35-10 rout at the hands of Georgia on the road.
Texas closed with wins in its final two, including handing rival Texas A&M its first loss of the year and keeping the Aggies out of the SEC championship game, but the résumé wasn’t enough to make the top 12 in the CFP rankings.
Texas has its own star quarterback: Arch Manning
Manning progressed throughout the season, finishing the regular season completing 61.1% of his passes – identical to U-M freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood – with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Five of those picks came in Manning’s first five games, followed by 13 touchdowns and two interceptions in his final seven contests.
He also is a threat with his legs, having run 83 times for 244 yards and eight scores. Outside of that, Texas doesn’t run much – Quintrevion Wisner was the leading rusher with 597 yards and three scores on 131 carries.
Texas does have a deep core of pass-catchers, however, with five players recording more than 300 yards and multiple touchdowns, led by Ryan Wingo (50 grabs, 770 yards and seven scores).
Michigan hasn’t played Texas in the postseason since the 2005 Rose Bowl, but this will be the second matchup in the past 15 months: The Longhorns defeated the Wolverines, 31-12, in Ann Arbor in Week 2 of the 2024 season.
It won’t be long before they meet again, either: Michigan is scheduled to make the return trip to Austin in 2027.
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football bowl game will be Texas in Citrus Bowl in Orlando
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