UF accepted a bowl invitation Sunday night to play Michigan in the Capital One Bowl on New Year's Day.
The No. 9 Gators (9-3) had seemed all but destined to play in Orlando since they were eliminated from the Southeastern Conference championship race more than two weeks ago.
In the end, the Capital One Bowl chose the in-state team over Tennessee (9-4), who is headed to the Outback Bowl for the second year in a row.
"We have what is going to be a highly ranked BCS team and a strong Heisman candidate in Tim Tebow," said Steve Hogan, the executive director of Florida Citrus Sports, the organization that runs the Capital One Bowl. "We're very proud to have them facing off against the Michigan Wolverines."
The game will be televised at 1 p.m. on ABC.
UF, whose 17-straight bowl appearances ranks third in the nation, has not played in Orlando since 2000, a 37-34 loss to Michigan State.
UF's Big Ten opponent in the game came down to Michigan and Illinois.
When the Rose Bowl snatched the Fighting Illini as a BCS at-large team, the unranked Wolverines (8-4) remained as the Capital One's lone option.
UF and Michigan's only other meeting came in the 2003 Outback Bowl, which Michigan won 38-30 on a 193 yard, four-touchdown performance from running back Chris Perry.
The Gators will likely head to Orlando the day after Christmas to begin bowl-week preparations.
"College football is momentum, I've said that many times," said UF coach Urban Meyer, who is 4-0 in bowl games. "We're going to go right intro recruiting right after the bowl game. … There's a lot to play for in this game for the seniors, but more important is that we're building for the future."
Even though Meyer will not be facing Illinois' Ron Zook like so many fans had anticipated, the game still has a storyline.
After 13 seasons at the helm, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr will lead the Wolverines for the final time.
Meyer, meanwhile, will be going up against the chief rival of his boyhood favorite team, Ohio State.
"I grew up in the state of Ohio, and I'm very familiar with Michigan," Meyer said. "I always admired Coach Carr. I've got great respect for the way he's handled things and the way his program has performed."
