The 2021 Orange Bowl semifinal game features two similar teams not only for their style of play, but also for their status as college football blue blood looking to return to the top of college football.
No. 2 Michigan has enjoyed its most successful season in years under Jim Harbaugh in 2021, passing Ohio State for the first time since 2011 and winning its first overall Big Ten championship since 2003. That has resulted in not just the first playoff for the United States. Wolverines. place, but also their best shot at a national championship since their historic 1997 season, when they won the AP national championship but lost the Coaches Poll vote to Nebraska.
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Meanwhile, No. 3 Georgia can’t be happy with the way she made the playoffs. The Bulldogs looked poised to enter as the top seeds overall before a shocking upset against Alabama, then third-ranked, in the SEC championship game, not because of the loss itself, but because of how much. Deeply, Crimson Tide dominated Georgia like no other team had all season. . Kirby Smart will certainly look to use that game as fuel heading into the Bulldogs’ second playoff appearance.
The Wolverines and Bulldogs enter this game with hardcore defenses and game-losing offenses. They seem to have a lot of defensive standouts, but the winning team will be able to make plays on both sides of the ball.
With that, here’s what you need to know about this year’s Orange Bowl semifinal, including time, location, betting odds, past winners, and more.
PLUS: Watch Michigan vs. Georgia Live on fuboTV (7-Day Free Trial)
What time does Michigan vs. Georgia start?
- Date: Friday December 31st
- Hour: 7:30 pm ET, 4:30 pm PT
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, December 31. It is the second of the two playoff games, following the Cotton Bowl meeting between No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Michigan at 3:30 pm ET.
What channel is Michigan vs. Georgia tonight?
The game will air nationally on ESPN. Chris Fowler (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) will call the game from the booth, while Holly Rowe and Marty Smith will report from the bench.
ESPN is also launching its Megacast for the College Football Playoff, once again providing alternative broadcasts across its entire family of networks. Here’s the full rundown.
| Broadcasting | television channel |
| Command center | ESPN2 |
| Skycast | ESPNU |
| All-22 | ESPN News |
| Spanish language | ESPN Sports |
Live stream of the college football playoff semifinals
Both College Football Playoff semifinals will air on ESPN and are available to stream live on all digital platforms on the network (ESPN.com, ESPN App, etc.).
Cable cutters have several live streaming options available to watch. Below is the list.
| Streaming option | Cable subscription required? | Free? | cost | Free Trial? |
| ESPN.com/ESPN Application | Yes | Yes | – | – |
| Yahoo! Sports app | No | Yes | – | – |
| fuboTV | No | No | $ 60 / month | Yes |
| AT&T TV now | No | No | $ 55 / month | Yes |
| Hulu Plus Live TV | No | No | $ 55 / month | Yes |
| Sling tv | No | No | $ 35 / month | No |
| YouTube TV | No | No | $ 65 / month | Yes |
Who plays in the Orange Bowl in 2021?
No. 2 Michigan will play No. 3 Georgia at the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Wolverines (12-1) earned their right to play in their first playoff game after beating No. 2 Ohio State for the first time since 2011, then turned around to beat No. 13 Iowa for the first overall championship. Big Ten of the team since 2003.
No. 3 Georgia (12-1) made the playoffs as a result of their dominance throughout the season, which included wins over opponents ranked at No. 3 Clemson, No. 8 Arkansas, No. 18 Auburn and No. 11. Kentucky. The Bulldogs were so dominant that they were considered a lock for the playoffs even if they lost to No. 3 Alabama in the SEC championship game. Crimson Tide did upset Smart and Co., dropping the Bulldogs from first overall to No. 3.
Where is the Orange Bowl semi-final played?
The Orange Bowl has been held at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, since 1996 (although the stadium has gone by various names since it opened in 1987). The only exception was the 1999 meeting between Florida and Syracuse. The Orange Bowl was originally held at Miami Field from 1935 to 1937 before moving to its historic home to the Miami Orange Bowl from 1938 to 1996 and 1999. This will be the third time the Orange Bowl has hosted a playoff semifinal after 2015 and 2018. stations.
CFP ODD: Why Georgia Can Win | Why Michigan can win
Michigan vs. Georgia betting odds
Georgia (-7.5) is the favorite to win the 2021 Orange Bowl over Michigan, for FanDuel. The plus / minus is set at 44.5 points.
History of the Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl, in operation since 1935, generally featured the former Big Eight Conference champion from 1968 until the conference absorbed four members of the Southwest Conference in 1996. From 1999-2005, the Orange Bowl featured the ACC champion o Big East. , except in seasons in which one or both teams played for the BCS national championship (or in cases where the Orange Bowl itself hosted the BCS championship).
The Orange Bowl signed an exclusive contract with the ACC in 2006, guaranteeing that its champion or runner-up would play in the bowl game. However, the beginning of the college football playoff era in 2014 introduced a complicated linking process that lasts until 2025. It includes not only the ACC champion, but also (potentially) the ACC runner-up and eligible team. Best rated. outside of the Big Ten, SEC, or Notre Dame, depending on whether the Orange Bowl is hosting the semi-finals:
- If the ACC champion qualifies for the playoffs in a year in which the Orange Bowl is not hosting the semifinals, the next highest ranked team in the conference (using the College Football Playoff rankings) will play in champion’s place.
- The ACC team’s opponent will be the SEC’s highest-ranking team, Big Ten or Notre Dame, although the champions from the two conferences are excluded due to contractual obligations to the Sugar and Rose bowls, respectively.
- If an SEC and / or Big Ten team qualifies for the playoffs, the next available teams from those conferences would also be excluded from the Orange Bowl due to their respective draws with the Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl.
- The Orange Bowl can bypass teams if they create a regular season rematch with the ACC entrant.
- The SEC and Big Ten are guaranteed three appearances each; The Big Ten played in their third Orange Bowl under the current contract in 2017, while the SEC hit that mark in January 2021.
- Notre Dame has zero guaranteed appearances and can only play in the Orange Bowl a maximum of two times under the current contract. He has yet to play in the Orange Bowl from the beginning of the playoff era.
Below are Orange Bowl results dating back to 1999, the first year of their ACC / Big East tie-in:
Rankings from December 31, 2014 onwards reflect CFP’s top 25. All other rankings reflect AP Top 25.
| Year | Match | Result | Grades |
| 2021 | No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Georgia | TBD | CFP semifinal Played on December 31, 2021 |
| 2021 | No. 5 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 North Carolina | Texas A&M 41, North Carolina 27 | Played on January 2, 2021 |
| 2019 | No. 9 Florida vs. No. 24 Virginia | Florida 36, Virginia 28 | |
| 2018 | No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Oklahoma | Alabama 45, Oklahoma 34 | CFP semifinal |
| 2017 | No. 6 Wisconsin vs. No. 10 Miami | Wisconsin 34, Miami 24 | |
| 2016 | No. 11 Florida State vs. No. 6 Michigan | State of Florida 33, Michigan 32 | |
| 2015. | No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Oklahoma | Clemson 37, Oklahoma 17 | CFP semifinal |
| 2014 | No. 12 Georgia Tech vs. Mississippi State No. 7 | Georgia Tech 49, Mississippi State 34 | Played on December 31, 2014 |
| 2014 | No. 12 Clemson vs. No. 7 Ohio State | Clemson 40, Ohio State 35 | Played on January 3, 2014 |
| 2013 | No. 13 Florida State vs. No. 16 Northern Illinois | State of Florida 31, Northern Illinois 10 | |
| 2012 | No. 17 West Virginia vs. No. 22 Clemson 33 | West Virginia 70, Clemson 33 | |
| 2011 | No. 5 Stanford vs. No. 12 Virginia Tech | Stanford 40, Virginia Tech 12 | |
| 2010 | No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech | Iowa 24, Georgia Tech 14 | |
| 2009 | No. 21 Virginia Tech vs. No. 12 Cincinnati | Virginia Tech 20, Cincinnati 7 | |
| 2008 | No. 8 Kansas vs. No. 5 Virginia Tech | Kansas 24, Virginia Tech 21 | |
| 2007 | No. 5 Louisville vs. No. 15 Wake Forest | Louisville 24, Wake Forest 13 | |
| 2006 | No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 22 Florida State | Penn State 26, Florida State 23 | |
| 2005 | No. 1 USC vs. No. 2 Oklahoma | USC 55, Oklahoma 19 | BCS Championship |
| 2004 | No. 10 Miami vs. No. 9 Florida State | Miami 16, Florida State 14 | |
| 2003 | No. 5 USC vs. No. 3 Iowa | USC 38, Iowa 17 | |
| 2002 | No. 5 Florida vs. No. 6 Maryland | Florida 56, Maryland 23 | |
| 2001 | No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 State of Florida | Oklahoma 11, Florida State 2 | BCS Championship |
| 2000 | No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 5 Alabama | Michigan 35, Alabama 34 (overtime) | |
| 1999 | No. 7 Florida vs. No. 18 Syracuse | Florida 31, Syracuse 10 |
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.