The Gamecocks accepted an invite to the Outback Bowl Sunday. They will face the Michigan Wolverines in a rematch of the 2013 Outback Bowl, meaning the Gamecocks will be revisiting the scene and opponent for some of their greatest bowl moments.

Including this season, South Carolina will have played in 22 bowls. Five have been the Outback Bowl. South Carolina has won eight bowl games all time, almost half, three, are Outback Bowl wins. Since the 2000 season, South Carolina has reached a bowl game following 13 of 17 seasons. Five have been the Outback Bowl.

The Outback Bowl litters South Carolina's bowl records. Connor Shaw had the longest run in 2013 (64 yards). Tyler Dean had the longest punt in 2002 (70 yards). Deandre' Eiland had two interceptions in 2001. Ace Sanders had the longest punt return in 2013 (63 yards). Ryan Brewer had the most touchdowns (3) in 2001, and the longest kick return in 2002 (43 yards).

The Gamecocks' best bowl rushing performance came in the 2001 game, when they rushed 51 times for 218 yards. Their most passing attempts also came in the Outback Bowl, in 2009 when they threw 50 times.

Interestingly, for Will Muschamp this will be just the second time he has been to the Outback Bowl. Despite appearing in 15 bowl games as a player and coach, and spending most of his career in the SEC, which has had a bowl tie-in with the Outback Bowl since 1995, Mushamp's only appearance in the Outback Bowl came in 1996 when he was a graduate assistant at Auburn. Auburn lost that game 43-14 to Penn State.

Muschamp said he welcomes the trip to the Outback Bowl. Playing in a New Year's Day bowl offers a lot of exposure, along with a lot of nice bowl gifts.

"Going down to Tampa for a week will be a great reward," he said. "Anytime you're in a spotlight like this it's good for your program."

The first Outback Bowl, in 2001, capped Lou Holtz's remarkable turnaround from 0-11 to 8-4. South Carolina beat Ohio State 24-7. Brewer, and Ohio native, had over 200 yards of offense and scored three touchdowns against Ohio State. The win was just the second bowl win in school history.

The two teams met again the following year, and the Gamecocks won a thrilling 31-28 game. Daniel Weaver kicked a game-winning 42-yard field goal with no time left to win the back and forth game. His kick barely cleared the crossbar, but it was enough to give the Gamecocks the win. The Buckeyes would go on to win 19 straight games, including a national championship, after that loss.

South Carolina also played in the 2009 Outback Bowl, one fans would like to forget. Iowa won 31-10, holding South Carolina scoreless until the fourth quarter. Stephen Garcia threw three interceptions before being benched for Chris Smelley, and South Carolina rushed for just 43 yards.

That Outback Bowl loss was the first of three straight bowl losses for the Gamecocks, which led into the most successful three-year period in program history. South Carolina went 11-2 each year during the span, and a pair of Capital One Bowl wins bookended another Outback Bowl appearance.

The 2013 Outback Bowl was one of the most memorable games in school history. Both programs were loaded with stars. There were big plays from both teams, as South Carolina sprinted out to an early lead before Michigan stormed back, setting the stage for a last-minute comeback.

Connor Shaw threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 96 yards. Sanders had a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 31-yard touchdown catch. Dylan Thompson threw for 117 yards and two touchdowns off the bench, and replaced Shaw on the final drive after Shaw was injured and threw the game-winning 32-yarder to Bruce Ellington with 11 seconds left.

But all of that is just burying the lede. The 2013 Outback Bowl is remembered for one thing.

The Hit.

Michigan ran a fake punt on fourth down, and referee Jeff Maconaghy inexplicably awarded a first down to Michigan despite the ball clearly being several inches short of the sticks.

Jadaveon Clowney took matters into his own hands. He drilled running back Vincent Smith on the handoff, sending Smith's helmet flying and the football tumbling to the turf. Clowney recovered and The Hit launched a thousand memes (did we know what memes were back then?), a Heisman campaign, and a side gig for Smith signing pictures of the victimization.

Pictures of the play are hung around William-Brice Stadium. Muschamp could not remember when he first saw The Hit, but he knows it well.

"I've seen it a bunch. It was a nice hit," Muschamp said, laughing. "I'm going to see if he has a year of eligibility left. Or even a quarter."

Now, two very different teams will meet for a rematch. The first game saw two offenses seemingly score at will. This year, both South Carolina and Michigan have stout defenses and offenses that frequently struggle to move the ball.

But given South Carolina's history in Tampa, expect a wild game.

South Carolina also has a chance to cap one of the more successful seasons in program history, which should serve as strong motivation over the next month.

"It's an opportunity to become the seventh team in school history to win nine games," Muschamp said. "That's a huge deal to our players."