Florida State vs. Georgia: Time, TV channel, preview for the Orange Bowl

While an Orange Bowl bid would serve as a historic seasons’ end for most FBS programs, Florida State and Georgia’s hardly had their attention on Miami Gardens entering conference championship Saturday. Both teams entered with perfect records and were featured in the committee’s week 13 rankings and placed in the top 4, but Georgia’s loss to Alabama and Florida State’s ultimately unsatisfactory performance against Louisville left both teams out of the wrong side of the playoff bubble. 

But with a chance at iconic hardware and a glimpse into the future on display next Saturday, here’s what to expect as each team looks to mend their broken hearts at Hard Rock Stadium:

Florida State

With a heartbroken Florida State roster ultimately denied a chance at playoff glory, it’s unsurprising that a number of Seminoles opted out of next week’s Orange Bowl. Florida State players WR Johnny Wilson, RB Trey Benson, TE Jaheim Bell and DE Jared Verse all announced their decision to opt out, and just this afternoon, FSU’s leading receiver and potential first-round draft pick WR Keon Coleman declared that he would forgo his final game and enter the NFL draft. Aside from Verse, as noted above, the entirety of FSU’s defense remains intact for the bowl game, the strength of this year’s Seminole team. Karen DeLoach, who totaled 66 tackles and seven sacks on the season, stands out as the leader of America’s sixth-best scoring defense and its second-most efficient pass defense, a crucial distinction as the Seminoles look to contain Davey O’Brien award semifinalists Carson Beck. 

Georgia

Unlike the Seminoles, Georgia has kept its squad perfectly intact regarding opt-outs, as the Bulldogs prepare for their second Orange Bowl in three years. Unlike most Georgia teams of recent memory, its defense hasn’t stood out as particularly dominant with just the 36th-best raw EPA/play this year, instead leaning on Carson Beck and the dominant UGA offense. Nearing 4,000…