National media, Dawgs247 predictions for Georgia vs. Florida State in Orange Bowl

MIAMI — The Georgia Bulldogs came up a win short of the College Football Playoff but are still determined to end 2023 on a high note. They’ll get their chance on Saturday afternoon when they face a top-five team in the Orange Bowl.

No. 6 Georgia (12-1, 8-1 SEC) will face No. 5 Florida State (13-0, 9-0 ACC) in the 2023 Orange Bowl. The Bulldogs enter the bowl game with a 12-1 record while the Seminoles went undefeated but were jumped by Texas and Alabama in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

The 2023 Orange Bowl will be played on Saturday in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. The game will kick off at 4 p.m. ET and be televised on ESPN.

Georgia took care of business throughout the 2023 regular season and held the No. 1 spot in the CFP rankings for three weeks. The Bulldogs’ reign at the top ended on Sunday, one day after Georgia couldn’t pull off a fourth-quarter comeback and fell to then-No. 8 Alabama 27-24.

Florida State, meanwhile, established itself as a championship contender early in the 2023 campaign. The Seminoles blew out then-No. 13 LSU 45-24 in Week 1 then took down Clemson 31-24 three weeks later. Florida State went undefeated in the regular season despite losing starting quarterback Jordan Travis to a season-ending injury in Week 12 then beat No. 14 Louisville 16-6 in the ACC championship game despite backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker being unavailable due to a concussion.

This is the 12th all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and the Seminoles and the second during bowl season. Their most recent meeting came in the 2003 Sugar Bowl, when former Florida State offensive coordinator Mark Richt got the upper hand on mentor Bobby Bowden in a 26-13 victory for the Bulldogs.

Georgia has a 35-21-3 record all-time in bowl games. The Bulldogs are riding a six-game winning streak in bowl games/playoff games, with their last loss coming against Texas in the 2019 Sugar Bowl.

The Bulldogs have a 3-1 record in the Orange Bowl. Their last win was a 34-11 victory over Michigan on New Year's Eve in 2021 as part of the College Football Playoff semifinals.

As one of the traditional New Year’s Six bowl games, the Orange Bowl has gotten plenty of attention despite some important players likely missing from both teams. Here’s a look at who the experts believe will get the upper hand in this year’s matchup:

Chris Hummer: Georgia 38, Florida State 20

“I suppose FSU could just roll over after being snubbed by the CFB Playoff committee and a litany of opt-outs, but I think they’ll come into this game with a ton to prove. That said, there's too many opt-outs for the Seminoles to feel good about this one, especially with the recent Tate Rodemaker decision. Give me Georgia to cover.”

Brad Crawford: Georgia 41, Florida State 23

“This is starting to feel like a lazy pick, but I'm part of the crowd that thought Georgia deserved to be in the College Football Playoff this season. I feel the same about the Seminoles, but the talking heads were correct — this was not the same team that largely coasted through the regular season with a Heisman candidate at quarterback. With all these opt-outs, Bulldogs cover.”

Dennis Dodd: Georgia

Tom Fornelli: Georgia

Chip Patterson: Georgia

Barrett Sallee: Georgia

David Cobb: Georgia 

Shehan Jeyarajah: Georgia

Jerry Palm: Georgia

Bill Connelly (SP+): Georgia 29, Florida State 23

ESPN FPI: Georgia 61.1% chance to win

Marc Weiszer: Georgia 34, Florida State 7

Bruce Feldman: Georgia 35, Florida State 6

“Expect Mike Norvell’s guys to battle for the first half before getting overwhelmed by an ornery Dawgs team. Kirby Smart is 8-2 in bowl games and has won six in a row.”

Sam Khan Jr.: Florida State

Dan Santaromita: Georgia

Audrey Synder: Georgia

Austin Mock: Georgia

Daniel Shirley: Georgia

Jill Thaw: Georgia

Scott Dochterman: Georgia

Scott Bell: Georgia

Corby Davidson: Georgia

Jamie Hancock: Georgia

Selby Lopez: Georgia 

Newy Scruggs: Georgia 

Kevin Sherrington: Georgia 

Brett Vito: Georgia

Bill Bender: Georgia 30, Florida State 20

“How will Florida State hold up with a backup quarterback ... against a Georgia team that will be coming off a hangover after a SEC championship game loss? Several Bulldogs might opt out of this one, too. That makes this line tough to read.”

Luke Easterling: Georgia

Steven Lassan: Georgia

Joe Vitale: Georgia

Ralph D. Russo: Georgia 28, Florida State 20

“Why watch? Let’s find out just how important injured QB Jordan Travis is to the Seminoles.”

Kipp Adams: Georgia 45, Florida State 10

Jordan D. Hill: Georgia 41, Florida State 10

Benjamin Wolk: Georgia 38, Florida State 0

Georgia picks: 35

Florida State picks: 1

Average score prediction: Georgia 35, Florida State 15