The game was nationally televised on ESPN2, and its title sponsor is the Outback Steakhouse restaurant franchise.
The game featured the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference, and the South Carolina Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference in their fourth meeting against each other, and second meeting in the Outback Bowl.
This was their 46th bowl game appearance, the 11th-highest total all-time among FBS schools.
South Carolina won the previous meeting against the Michigan Wolverines in the 2013 Outback Bowl, by a score of 33–28.
[6] The 2018 Outback Bowl marked the first appearance of SB Nation sportswriter and mixed martial artist Ryan Nanni as the Bloomin' Onion mascot.