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Florida State and Georgia were the first two teams left out of the College Football Playoff on Sunday, but they now know their postseason fates. They’ll match up against one another in the Orange Bowl.
The announcement was made shortly after the CFP field was unveiled, with media confirming the two spurned programs will now be future foes.
Orange Bowl sources confirm to @247Sports unbeaten FSU will play Georgia in Miami on Dec. 30 (@Brett_McMurphy first)
— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) December 3, 2023
The Orange Bowl is one of the highest postseason honors in college football. This year’s edition will pit the ACC champs against the two-time defending national champions.
While the game will provide one final opportunity for these teams to showcase their abilities on the field, many were left deflated upon hearing the news.
That’s due to national title aspirations that both programs possessed.
Georgia was looking to make it a three-peat after winning the crown in ’21 and ’22. While they ran through the regular season undefeated, a loss to Alabama in the SEC championship proved to be too much to overcome.
As for FSU, they’ll be the first undefeated Power Five champion to be left out of the CFP field. The Seminoles went a perfect 13-0, knocking off No. 14 Louisville in the ACC title yet got jumped by one-loss Texas and Alabama in the final selection.
Seminole players watched on in dejection as they learned the news.
The CFP snubs will make for an interesting storyline in the bowl matchup. Will players look to prove the committee wrong, or will they opt out of the game with the chance of winning a national title now off the table?
Whatever the case, this will be just the 12th all-time meeting between these college football powers.
UGA leads the series with FSU 6-4-1 with the last game coming in 2003. The Bulldogs won the first six games in the series before the Seminoles took four straight.
After tying 17-17 in 1984, Georgia beat Florida State 26-13 on New Year’s Day in 2003.