2020 Citrus Bowl
The 2020 Citrus Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2020, with kickoff at 1:00 p.m. EST on ABC. It was the 74th edition of the Citrus Bowl, and was one of the 2019–20 bowl games concluding the 2019 [NCAA Division I FBS football season|2019 FBS football season]. Sponsored by Vrbo, a vacation rental marketplace owned by the HomeAway division of Expedia, the game was officially known as the Vrbo Citrus Bowl.
Teams
The game featured the Michigan Wolverines from the Big Ten Conference and the Alabama Crimson Tide from the Southeastern Conference. This was the fifth meeting between the two programs; entering the game, the series was tied, 2–2. Most recently they met in the 2012 Cowboys Classic in Arlington, Texas, won by Alabama, 41–14.
Michigan entered the game with a 9–3 record, ranked 17th in the AP Poll. They finished in third place in the Big Ten's East Division. The Wolverines were 2–3 against ranked opponents, defeating 2019 [Iowa Hawkeyes football team|Iowa] and 2019 [Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame] while losing to 2019 [Wisconsin Badgers football team|Wisconsin], 2019 [Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Penn State], and 2019 [Ohio State Buckeyes football team|Ohio State]. This was Michigan's sixth Citrus Bowl appearance; they were 4–1 in prior appearances. This was Michigan's 48th bowl game appearance, the 11th-highest total all-time among FBS schools.
Alabama entered the game with a 10–2 record, tied for ninth in the AP Poll. They finished in second place in the SEC's West Division. The Crimson Tide were 1–2 against ranked opponents, defeating 2019 [Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M] while losing to 2019 [LSU Tigers football team|LSU] and 2019 [Auburn Tigers football team|Auburn]. This was Alabama's third Citrus Bowl appearance; they were 2–0 in prior appearances.