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DANIA BEACH – Dec. 3, 2023, is a day that will live in infamy in Athens, Georgia and Tallahassee, Florida.
That day the College Football Playoff Committee decided that No. 5 Florida State (13-0) and No. 6 Georgia (12-1) were not good enough to make the final four-team College Football Playoff field, despite an undefeated season from the Seminoles and the Bulldogs winning 29 of their last 30 games.
Now the teams are squared off for a Capital One Orange Bowl at 4 p.m. Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
The Seminoles defeated Louisville 17-7 on Dec. 2 in the ACC Championship Game, while Georgia fell to Alabama by a field goal in the SEC Championship Game.
The next day, neither FSU nor UGA heard their names called on the playoff field. Both teams are expecting there could be around a combined 40 opt-outs due to either the NFL Draft, NCAA Transfer Portal or injuries.
FSU has lost a total of 11 starters, with nine opting to begin their draft process. Georgia has been limited to opt-outs seemingly to only injured players.
“They want to go out on top,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said Friday at a joint press conference Friday, ahead of the game at Le Méridien Dania Beach at Fort Lauderdale Airport.
“They don’t want their last Georgia outing to be what was the SEC championship. They put their minds to it, and it was a little bit of almost a contagious deal. One guy did it, another guy did it, and they wanted to play.”
Tight end Brock Bowers and offensive lineman Amarius Mims are two players who did not travel with the team when they arrived Tuesday. Smart did not update the status of Bowers on Friday but did say Mims is with the team.
The Seminoles are turning to freshman quarterback Brock Glenn and are starting a receiver – Ja’Khi Douglas on their two-deep depth chart at one of the running back…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mike-norvell-kirby-smart-ready-200003240.html
Author : Tallahassee Democrat
Publish date : 2023-12-29 20:00:03
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