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The first Top-10 clash of the bowl season has arrived, as No. 7 Michigan is set to take on No. 10 Florida in the 2018 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday afternoon.
The game is scheduled to start at Noon ET and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. If you don’t have cable, you can still watch a live stream of the game on your computer, phone, video game console, smart TV or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
ESPN and ESPN2 are both included in the “Sling Orange” channel bundle. You can sign up for a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
ESPN Platforms
Additionally, you can watch a live stream of the game on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the ESPN app. You’ll need to log in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can still sign up for one of the above options and then use your Hulu or Sling TV credentials to sign in and watch on the ESPN digital platforms.
Florida vs Michigan Preview
It’s clear that Dan Mullen has Florida headed in the right direction in his first year as head coach. He took over a team went 4-7 last year and was unranked heading into the season, and he led them to a 9-3 record and a spot in the school’s first New Year’s Six bowl since 2012.
On Saturday, Mullen has an opportunity to do something else that Jim McElwain was never able to accomplish during his embattled tenure in Gainesville: Beat Michigan.
It’s not as though McElwain didn’t have chances. In his two-and-a-half seasons as head coach, his Gators played Michigan twice and lost both games by a combined 50 points–41-7 in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day 2016, and 33-17 to open the 2017 season.
A win Saturday would not only secure the Gators’ first Top-10 finish since 2012, beating Michigan would further hammer down the notion that this is in fact a new, better era of Florida football.
“We want to compete for championships,” Mullen said. “When you get into a matchup in a bowl game with two top-10 teams, I don’t know if it defines a lot about next season, but when you look at us as a program as a whole, we want to be a team that is continually in the top-10. Because if you are, you are in a position to compete for championships on a regular basis. I think certainly it will be a challenge and a test to see where we are at.”
As for the Wolverines, this game offers a chance to let out some frustration.
A 10-game winning streak following a season-opening loss to Notre Dame had Michigan in line to make the playoff, but that quickly went down the drain with a 62-39 blowout loss at the hands of bitter rivals Ohio State. As such, the Peach Bowl may feel like a disappointment to some, but it’s still a game against a Top-10 team and a chance to prove they’re one of the best teams in the nation.
“We’re hungry for another win,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “That’s our mindset. We are thrilled as well.”
If Michigan is going to get that win, they’ll have to do it without four key starters. Defensive lineman Rashan Gary, linebacker Devin Bush, running back Karan Higdon and offensive tackle Juwann Bushell-Beatty will all sit out for various injury- or draft-related reasons.
Nevertheless, the Wolverines are still six-point favorites as they look to potentially secure the school’s first Top-5 finish since 1999.
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