Friday December 31st, 7:30pm on ESPN
CFB Playoff Fever has taken over at Student Union Sports and the Orange Bowl is right around the corner. This season’s Orange Bowl will feature two powerhouse teams in the Michigan Wolverines and the Georgia Bulldogs. Here’s all you should know about this exciting matchup.
First Time Jitters?
For the first time since the creation of the college football playoff, Michigan has earned a seat at the table. A chance to play for the coveted CFB championship. It’s been a long and grueling process for Michigan’s head coach, Jim Harbaugh, since he took over their football program, but the hard work has paid off. They revamped their coaching staff ahead of the 2021 season and while it some doubted it before the season, they were able to shut out the doubters.
After beating the Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan fans could have simply settled for finally lifting the curse that their rivals seemingly placed on them. The game felt like a fairytale as it was snowing with fans rushing the field, eagerly waiting for the opportunity to share the field with the players and coaches. “This is the best moment of my life.” Defensive End, Aiden Hutchinson, stated after the game. Michigan’s defense is highly talented, and led by Hutchinson, they should give this highly praised Georgia defense a run for their money!
Pressure Is On Georgia
The Georgia Bulldogs are no strangers to the college football playoffs. Georgia’s offense has been unwavering since the start of the season and their defense has been lights out until their last game against Alabama. They seem like the perfect package until you really look at that Alabama loss. It was only the second game they failed to score 30 points+ and their defense was completely exposed.
They gave up 41 points in that loss, which raised some questions heading into the college football playoffs. Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean was recently interviewed by the Athletic and was asked about any worry in their defense to which he stated “Not at all. I know what we can do. I know the type of game we played. We just got outplayed. I hope guys carry that (memory) with them. Every loss you take should be taken as a lesson.” So unless Alabama figured something out, then Georgia could be the complete package going into this game.
The Verdict
This is going to be a great game to watch regardless of the outcome.. Both programs have something to prove. Michigan has to prove that they wanted more than just that win over Ohio State and Harbaugh has to prove he’s still the right man for the head coaching job. Georgia needs to prove that Alabama loss was just bump in the road and they are capable of taking home the whole thing. This should be a game that College Football Fans talk about for years to come!
