The Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium got an early start New Years Day.
By 7 a.m., tailgating lots were packed with fans of the Wisconsin Badgers and Auburn Tigers. All of them came with opinions on who would win.
"Auburns rush defense doesn't seem that good, and we have Melvin Gordon," said Badgers fan Nathan Wikulsky. "I'm really excited I think we have a good chance of winning this."
"Auburns going to win by 14," Tigers fan Derson Dean. "We have got some enthusiasm and it's kind of nice to be playing with a little bit of passion on defense. "
The last time the Badgers and Tigers met in a bowl game was 2006 at the Capital One Bowl in Orlando. The Badgers walked away with the upset win 24-10.
This was Auburn's third appearance in the Outback Bowl. They came into 2015's game 1-2 in Outback Bowl appearances.
The football game capped off a week of fun for the players, fans, bands and cheerleaders for both teams.
Outback Bowl week started last Saturday and featured a beach day, parade in Ybor City, as well as visits to young patients at Tampa General Hospital and to a Tampa Bay Lightning Game.
The first Outback Bowl game was played on December 23, 1986 and featured one of the closest games in the Bowl's history. Boston College defeated Georgia 27-24.