No. 6 Georgia (12-1) will take on No. 5 Florida State (13-0) in the Orange Bowl on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET from Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, televised on ESPN.
Heartbreak is a sentiment that both the Bulldogs and Seminoles can attest to ahead of this game.
Georgia missed the College Football Playoff due to a 3-point loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship after winning 29-straight games (SEC record).
Despite finishing the regular season undefeated and ACC Champions, Florida State was also left out of the playoff, leading to understandable distain by FSU faithful.
Regardless, the whistle will blow at 4 p.m. on Saturday and these programs have more than enough to prove.
Both programs will look differently than they did in the regular season with transfer portal losses, opt outs and injuries.
While the Bulldogs don’t officially have any opt outs yet, several players are still nursing injuries and are questionable for the matchup.
Here’s our breakdown of who we’ll see, or won’t see in the Orange Bowl:
Brock Bowers
The biggest uncertainty regarding Georgia’s roster for this game is the status of star tight end Brock Bowers, who is still nursing a surgically repaired ankle that hobbled him the latter part of the season.
Bowers didn’t travel with the team to Miami earlier in the week, but has joined the team as of Friday.
Kirby Smart was asked on Friday about Bowers’ chance at playing. He replied, “We will see.”
Amarius Mims
Mims’ status is similar to that of Bowers. He underwent the same TightRope surgery early in the season and played in a limited capacity after his return.
Mims arrived in Miami on Thursday and is currently present with the team, per Smart.
Both Mims and Bowers are widely considered top 10 NFL draft picks.
Georgia transfers
The Bulldogs currently have 18 players in the NCAA transfer portal, excluding freshman cornerback Daniel Harris. Kirby Smart noted on Friday that Harris isn’t in the portal despite his announcement on Christmas day.
Place kicker Jared Zirkle is listed here, but he will take care of Georgia’s kickoff duties on Saturday.
- OL Joshua Miller (Syracuse)
- WR Yazeed Haynes (Syracuse)
- LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson (Kentucky)
- OLB Marvin Jones Jr. (Florida State)
- CB A.J. Harris
- QB Brock Vandagriff (Kentucky)
- WR Jackson Meeks (Syracuse)
- OL Aliou Bah (Maryland)
- LB E.J. Lightsey (Georgia Tech)
- WR Mekhi Mews
- CB Nyland Green
- LB Xavian Sorey Jr. (Arkansas)
- OL Austin Blaske (North Carolina)
- OLB Darris Smith (Missouri)
- WR Logan Johnson
- DE C.J. Madden (Purdue)
- DL Jonathan Jefferson (SMU)
- PK Jared Zirkel
Florida State transfers
Florida State has 16 players in the transfer portal, including presumed Orange Bowl starter Tate Rodemaker. The quarterback entered the portal early this week, tabbing freshman Brock Glenn as the starter.
- QB Tate Rodemaker
- DL Malcom Ray
- LB D.J. Lundy (Colorado)
- RB Rodney Hill (Florida A&M)
- PK Tyler Keltner
- OL Thomas Shrader
- OT Bless Harris (TCU)
- DL Ayobami Tifase
- OL Qae’Shon Sapp (Florida A&M)
- OT Daughtry Richardson (FAU)
- QB A.J. Duffy (San Diego State)
- RB C.J. Campbell (FAU)
- TE Preston Daniel
- LB Dylan Brown-Turner
- TE Markeston Douglas (Arizona State)
- WR Winston Wright Jr. (East Carolina)
Georgia opt outs
Surprisingly, Georgia has yet to have a single opt out for the Orange Bowl, despite having multiple NFL draft eligible players that are expected to declare before the Jan. 15 deadline.
We don’t see that often in today’s era of college football. It’s a testament to the culture Smart has built in Athens.
Since there aren’t any opt outs to list, let’s take a look at the Bulldogs who have announced their intentions to play.
- QB Carson Beck
- RB Kendall Milton
- WR Ladd McConkey
- CB Kamari Lassiter
- DB Javon Bullard
Florida State opt outs
Looking at the other side, the Seminoles are missing a large chunk of their top players due to opt outs.
- QB Tate Rodemaker
- WR Keon Coleman
- WR Johnny Wilson
- RB Trey Benson
- Edge Jared Verse
- TE Jaheim Bell
- DL Fabien Lovett
- DB Jarrian Jones
- DB Renardo Green
