The game featured the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference, and the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference in their third meeting against each other, with all three matchups coming in January bowl games in Florida.
[3] After finishing their regular season with a 9–3 record, the Wolverines were selected to their fifth Citrus Bowl appearance.
This was their 44th bowl game appearance, tied for 11th-highest total all-time among FBS schools.
Michigan won the previous meeting against the Florida Gators in the 2008 Capital One Bowl, by a score of 41–35.
[4] After finishing their regular season with a 10–3 record, the Gators were selected to their sixth Citrus Bowl appearance, tying them with Georgia for the most Citrus Bowl appearances.