In what should be a highly competitive Gator Bowl matchup, Northwestern (9-3) will take on Mississippi State (8-4) at Everbank Field on Tuesday.

Although Wildcats' coach Pat Fitzgerald wasn't able to obtain a bowl victory during his years there as a player, he can't seem to pull of the feat as a coach either as the program looks to put a stop to its 63-year postseason struggles.

If Fitzgerald and Northwestern don't walk away with a win then his good friend Dan Mullen, coach of Mississippi State, would give the Bulldogs' its sixth straight bowl victory.

For the fifth consecutive year, Fitzgerald has led Northwestern to a bowl game. However, the Wildcats have lost nine straight bowl games dating back to its last victory at the 1949 Rose Bowl.

"It will mean nothing until we get this win in this bowl game... since I've been here it's been expected that we go to bowl games. It's about taking that next step and getting that win, then pressing on and getting to the Big Ten championship, setting new goals and standards," linebacker David Nwabuisi told ESPN.

While Northwestern's defeat at home to the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Oct. 20 and a loss in OT to the Michigan Wolverines on Nov. 10 squashed its aspirations for a league title, the team can still gain its first 10-win season since finishing 10-2 in 1995.

On the other hand, Mississippi State had the same title hopes after starting out the season 7-0 and was seemingly on its way to 10 wins for the first time since 1999. However, the Bulldogs grueling second half schedule had them playing highly ranked teams Alabama, Texas A&M and LSU, which resulted in all losses.

CLICK HERE to watch Mississippi State face off against Northwestern via free live stream. Coverage of the Gator Bowl will begin at 11 a.m. CST on Tuesday, Jan. 1.

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NCAA Football