JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Northwestern and Mississippi State will play in the Gator Bowl.
The Wildcats (9-3) and the Bulldogs (8-4) accepted invitations Sunday. It gives the New Year's Day bowl a less-than-marquee matchup. The Gator Bowl pitted Florida and Ohio State last season, which was an intriguing matchup that featured Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer's former team against his current team.
Northwestern is playing on New Year's Day for the third time in four years. The hope is Wildcats fans will help fill the EverBank Field stadium. NU fans aren't known for traveling well.
Bulldogs fans traditionally help break bowl ticket sales records. Mississippi State is back in Jacksonville for the second time in three years. In 2010, coach Dan Mullen and the Bulldogs were one of the surprises of the Southeastern Conference. This time, though, MSU comes in having lost four its last five games.
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