Undefeated ACC champion Florida State and two-time national champion Georgia will face off in the Orange Bowl in the biggest showdown of the non-playoff New Year’s Six bowl matchups, announced Sunday.
The Orange Bowl will pit No. 5 Florida State against No. 6 Georgia on Dec. 30 in Miami Gardens, Fla. The 13-0 Seminoles, who feel they were snubbed from a top-four spot by the College Football Playoff selection committee, will settle for the traditional destination of the ACC champion.
Georgia dropped from No. 1 to No. 6 after a wild weekend saw the Bulldogs lose the SEC championship game 27-24 to Alabama. At 12-1, the Bulldogs fell behind not only the Crimson Tide but also No. 3 Texas and the Seminoles.
On Jan. 1, No. 1 Michigan will face No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl in one CFP semifinal, and No. 2 Washington will play No. 3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl for the other.
In other New Year’s Six bowl game action:
–Ohio State will meet Missouri in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29. The Buckeyes’ only loss came in their regular-season finale against current No. 1 Michigan. That knocked Ohio State out of the running for the Big Ten championship game. Missouri went 10-2 in its first double-digit-win season since 2014.
–Penn State will face Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30. The third Big Ten-SEC matchup of the New Year’s Six, this game pits two 10-2 teams that fell short of making their respective conference title games.
–Oregon will face Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1. The Ducks’ two losses both came by three points to Washington, the latter time in the Pac-12 title game. They’ll face undefeated Liberty, which is playing in its first New Year’s Six bowl game in program history. The 13-0 Flames earned the Group of Five conferences’ automatic New Year’s Six bid after Tulane lost to SMU in the American Athletic Conference title game.
–Field Level Media