Predicting Bowl Outcomes for Maryland and the Big Ten
By Chris Bengel
Capital One Orange Bowl
No. 6 Michigan (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) vs. No. 11 Florida State (9-3, 5-3 ACC)
Dec. 30 – 8 p.m., ESPN
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
What a fall for Michigan.
The Wolverines looked to be destined for the College Football Playoff, but an unfortunate call against Ohio State puts them in the Orange Bowl rather than the Fiesta Bowl. Still, Michigan still has the chance to finish a very successful season on a good note.
Quarterback Wilton Speight was banged up towards the end of the season, but returned against the Buckeyes. He’s got three of the best targets around to toss the pigskin to in Jake Butt, Jehu Chesson, and Amara Darboh.
On the other hand, the Seminoles are no slouch by any stretch.
True freshman quarterback Deondre Francois looked like a stud at times. He had his bumps in the road, but ended up completing 60.6 percent of his passes and threw 18 touchdowns.
Dalvin Cook is one of the top backs in the nation and arguably a future NFL star. He scored 18 touchdowns on the season and is a threat to take it to the house on any play.
It’s safe to say that this one could be a shootout even with Michigan’s stout defense.
Prediction: Michigan wins 31-27