Two teams who wish they were playing one another in a different bowl game square off, as two-time reigning national champion Georgia Bulldogs take on the 13-0 Atlantic Coast Conference title-winning Florida State Seminoles.
When the four College Football Playoff berths and bowl destinations were announced on December 4, both the Bulldogs and Seminoles were left out of the national semifinals, despite sparkling resumes. There were just a lot of contenders this year.
Mike Norvel has engineered a revival at Florida State. This is the Seminoles best season since 2014 when they won the ACC and went to the inaugural CFP and the Rose Bowl, where they were blown out by Oregon.