This year’s Orange Bowl looks to be one of the juiciest and most exciting games of the entire bowl season. You couldn’t ask for a better draw for this game — Florida State, led by running back Dalvin Cook, and Michigan, whose talented defense is just one part of what makes this game look so good. The way that both of these teams’ seasons have gone reflects just how nice of a consolation prize the Orange Bowl is for them.
Orange Bowl 2016: How to watch Michigan vs. Florida State online
This year’s game looks like one of the best matchups of bowl season.
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Florida State entered the 2016 season with one of the most talented and deep rosters Tallahassee had seen in years, so the expectations were at a National Title-like high. However, a blowout loss on the road to Louisville, paired with losses at home to both North Carolina and Clemson, knocked the Noles out of Playoff conversations. But after finishing the season with four straight wins, including a blowout victory over archrival Florida, the Noles’ body of work is a good one.
Michigan, meanwhile, saw its Playoff chances slip away with a double overtime 30-27 loss to Ohio State, a game that vaulted the Buckeyes into the Playoff. But a chance to win 11 games on the season, along with winning a major New Year’s Six bowl, is still a very impressive year for Jim Harbaugh’s second season in Ann Arbor.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN. The announcers are Steve Levy, Brian Griese, and Todd McShay.
Online streaming: You can catch this game on WatchESPN.
Spread: Michigan is a 6.5-point favorite.
Make friends: SB Nation’s Maize and Brew covers UM, and Tomahawk Nation covers Florida State.
Three big things to know
1. Dalvin Cook will play. Although the draft-eligible junior is expected to leave Florida State after this season, he will suit up against Michigan. We’ve seen running backs with high draft stocks forgo their team’s bowl games, most recently in Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and LSU’s Leonard Fournette. How big of a bowl game this could presumably be is a reason Cook will play.
2. Jim Harbaugh is excited to see FSU’s mascot. During a joint presser with Jimbo Fisher, Harbaugh admitted that he was looking forward to seeing FSU’s mascot. That mascot is Chief Osceola, who represents the historical Seminole tribe leader Osceola. Before each home game, Osceola rides out on an Appaloosa horse named Renegade and throws a fiery spear onto the middle of the field.
3. This year’s Orange Bowl is earlier than usual. In recent years, this game has been played on or around New Year’s Day. Last year, the Orange Bowl, being a semifinal, was on New Year’s Eve. This time around, since it falls on Dec. 30, it’ll be a bit different than when we’re used to seeing this game.
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