ATLANTA — The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs are nearing another shot at the national title, as well as a chance for revenge after being routed by Alabama at the SEC championship. But first, the Dawgs have to go through Big Blue in the Orange Bowl.
UGA is in Miami on Friday, up against the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines. There's a lot on the line in this title eliminator, and it is anyone's game.
The basics
- Who: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Michigan Wolverines
- What: Orange Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal
- Where: Miami
- When: 7:30 p.m. ET Friday night, Dec. 31
- TV: ESPN
The Dawgs and the Wolverines will be battling it out from inside Miami Gardens, Florida's Hard Rock Stadium on New Year's Eve. Before the two teams kick off at 7:30 p.m., fans want to know: Can Georgia do it this year?
Here are three keys to whether UGA can get back to the National Championship for the second time in the last five years:
Clearing COVID protocols
Wide receiver George Pickens played a huge role in Georgia locking down a Top 10 season in 2020, before injuries resulted in him appearing in just two games this year. J.T. Daniels, meanwhile, missed significant chunks of the season due to injury and wound up permanently behind Stetson Bennett in the quarterback pecking order.
After previously testing positive, Daniels and Pickens cleared COVID-19 protocol on Monday and are now in Miami for the Orange Bowl, ensuring Georgia has two potentially game-changing talents available for the game.
Whether Coach Kirby Smart turns to Daniels if Bennett struggles - as he did in UGA's humbling SEC Championship loss to Alabama - will be perhaps the most closely-watched plotline in Friday night's game.
Tipping the scales further in the direction of Georgia's offense, the availability of one of Michigan's key defensive players is still up in the air.
Michigan All-Big Ten safety Daxton Hill arrived in Miami, but Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh said in a Thursday press conference that the player's status is still undecided for Friday's game. If Michigan's top safety never makes it into the game, it may give an edge to Georgia's closely-scrutinized passing game.
Keep an eye on Jordan Davis
Nose tackle Jordan Davis may be the proverbial tip of the spear for the Dawgs' defense on Friday. The former three-star recruit from Charlotte, North Carolina passed up on entering the NFL draft for one more year in Athens.
The upperclassman racked up 28 tackles and two sacks in the regular season.
As the Wolverines tout one of the nation's top run games, the 6-foot-6, 340-pound lineman is set to help the Dawgs defense push back the line of scrimmage in the New Year's Eve bowl game.
Georgia must contain Aidan Hutchinson
Michigan's pass rush game has been dominant this year, which means Bennett's success on Friday may all come down to the Dawgs' ability to lock down one man - Aidan Hutchinson.
Hutchinson has seen incredible success at the defensive end position for Michigan, having garnered the third-most sacks with 14 and most QB pressures with 73 in the nation this year, and he could wind up the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.
Hutchinson is not the only defensive star over at Michigan, however.
Defensive linebacker David Ojabo had 11 sacks and 40 QB pressures, making the player an incredible threat in his own right. If Georgia wants to make the most out of their offense at the Orange Bowl, the Dawgs will have no choice but to shut down Michigan's star rushers.
This will be Georgia's first outing in the Orange Bowl in over 60 years and only the team's third time facing Michigan in program history. The two 12-1 teams are fighting for a shot at the winner of Alabama and Cincinnati, who face off in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
If the Dawgs want to claim their first national championship win since the days of Herschel Walker, the path is paved through Florida and Miami's Hard Rock Stadium on New Year's Eve.