No. 19 Wisconsin to Meet No. 9 South Carolina in Capital One Bowl

The South Carolina Gamecocks will play the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2014 Capital One Bowl. The 68th edition of the New Year’s Day classic will be played on January 1, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. from Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium and will be televised nationally by ESPN on ABC.

South Carolina makes its second Capital One Bowl appearance in three seasons, having beaten Nebraska in the 2012 edition of the game. The Gamecocks finished the regular season 10-2 for the third-straight year, with wins over ranked foes Missouri, UCF and Clemson. QB Connor Shaw, who tossed two touchdown passes in the 2012 Capital One Bowl, leads the offense with 2,135 passing yards, 511 rushing yards and 26 total touchdowns.

The Gamecocks defense has excelled in forcing turnovers, including a 15-0 turnover margin in their last four games. South Carolina has won two-straight bowl games and has the opportunity to earn its third-straight 11-win season.

Wisconsin makes its first trip to Orlando since the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl versus Miami and its first appearance in the Capital One Bowl since defeating Arkansas in 2007. The Badgers have won six of their last seven games, finishing 6-2 in Big Ten play. Led by the rushing duo of Melvin Gordon and James White, Wisconsin has averaged 283.0 yards per game on the ground, good for eighth in the FBS.

The Badgers will be appearing in their 12th-consecutive bowl game, a streak that includes a 3-1 record in four Orlando bowl games. Wisconsin is led by first year head coach Gary Andersen, who led the team to nine wins after heading to Madison after four years at Utah State.

The game will mark the first-ever meeting between these two historic programs. The Gamecocks have a 6-12 bowl record, but have won two-straight bowl games over Big Ten opposition, defeating Nebraska in 2012 and Michigan in 2013. The Badgers are 11-13 all time in bowl games and 2-0 in the Capital One Bowl, defeating Auburn in 2006 and Arkansas in 2007.