With the arrival of bowl season comes an increased spotlight on the four teams — Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama — set to compete in the College Football Playoff. Still, the playoff participants account for merely a fraction of the bowl season field. Seventy-eight other schools will participate in non-CFP bowls over the next few weeks, and even if a national championship isn’t on the table for the rest of the pack, those games are far from meaningless.
Whether it be the pursuit of a program milestone, a quest to silence critics or merely the desire to ring in the new year with some momentum, just about every team in the bowl season lineup faces some degree of urgency as they prepare to take the field one last time this season. Granted, that feeling is far more pronounced for some than others, especially those who feel as if they may have something to prove to a nation of onlookers.
Here are some of the non-CFP teams that have the most to gain from a victory during the 2023 bowl season.
Orange Bowl vs. No. 6 Georgia: Nothing can completely erase the sting and heartache that Florida State experienced when it finished No. 5 in the final College Football Playoff Rankings, becoming the first undefeated Power Five champion to miss the CFP field. However, the Seminoles have a chance to make a resounding statement — and silence their loudest critics — as they gear up to face two-time reigning national champion Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
Should FSU upset the Bulldogs as a 14-point underdog, it would end the season a perfect 14-0 complete with three wins over SEC opponents. It would also mark FSU’s second SEC win and second ranked win this season since losing star quarterback Jordan Travis to injury in Week 12, an ailment…
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Author : Dean Straka
Publish date : 2023-12-15 21:43:47
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