Athens, GA - The University of Georgia football team will continue its postseason play when it takes on Michigan State in the Outback Bowl on Monday, January 2. The game is set for a 1 p.m. ET start and will air nationally on ABC.

“We think we have a classic match-up,” Outback Bowl President and CEO Jim McVay said. “These are two exceptional teams—great defenses, exciting offenses with the best quarterbacks in the country. This is going to be a lot of fun. We are thrilled to have the Spartans and the Bulldogs as part of our game this year.”

“We were at the Outback Bowl once before while I have been at Georgia, and we had a great time,” Georgia head coach Mark Richt said. “We are in for a great treat. There are so many great things to do in Tampa, and the Outback Bowl provides a lot of that for us, and we are thankful for that.

“We are excited about our match-up with Michigan State. We have played them before and that game came down to the wire. These are two teams that are evenly matched, and we kind of mirror each other. There are a lot of things that are alike with what we have been through, what we have accomplished and living through the pain of not winning your conference championship. Both teams certainly want to finish with a strong game to end this season. I have a lot of respect for Coach Mark Dantonio and what they do there. We are looking forward to the game.”

The two opponents carry a 10-3 record heading into the bowl game. Michigan State holds a slight advantage in poll rankings, as it is No. 12 in the AP Poll and No. 13 in the Coaches’ Poll compared to Georgia holding the 18 spot in both. The teams met most recently in the 2009 Capital One Bowl where Georgia pulled out a 24-12 win over the Spartans.

“We are looking forward to the challenge,” Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. “We have a lot of respect for Georgia and what they have been able to accomplish these past years, and I have a lot of respect for Coach Richt as well.”

Among other similarities, both coaches noted their opponent’s strong defense. For Georgia, linebacker Jarvis Jones leads the team in multiple categories, including tackles for loss with 19.5 and sacks with 13.5. Max Bullough’s 86 total tackles as well as Denicos Allen’s 17 tackles for loss and 10 sacks lead the Spartans defensive efforts.

“It is going to be a physical battle,” Richt said. “I know it’s going to be like two heavyweights slugging it out. They are an outstanding defensive football team and just an outstanding football team, period. It’s not going to get any easier, that’s for sure.”

As far as the bowl practice schedule, Richt is still in the planning process. The Bulldogs will have an array of practices in Athens before reporting to Tampa on December 26 to begin final preparations.