Orange Bowl Preview: Three Things To Look For

Tennessee and Clemson are playing in the Orange Bowl on Friday. The Vols won 10 regular season games for the first time since 2003 and beat arch-rival Alabama for firsttime since 2006. Clemson missed the CFP for second straight season after playing six straight CFB seasons.

Clemson and Tennessee are playing in the 87th Annual Capital One Orange Bowl on Friday, December 30th at 8:00 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Tennessee has a 31-7 record over three years, whereas Clemson has gone 69-5 in its previous 74 games.

Joe Milton III will start for Tennessee against Clemson in the Orange Bowl. Cade Klubnik started for Clemson against North Carolina in ACC Championship game. The game might be decided by the quarterback with the most experience. For Milton, it's his experience and athleticism. Klubsnik has some experience, but he's a freshman. It's not easy to start against a top-ten team.

Tennessee's Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman won't play in the Orange Bowl. Jeremy Banks won’t play for Tennessee. Myles Murphy won too for Clemson. The Tigers will play with Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. instead. Clemson has more experience. Tennessee has talent to fill the void left by the opt-outs.

Tennessee's top-ranked offense is expected to keep scoring points. Clemson's defense will miss Murphy and Simpson. The most important variable of the game is the consistency of Tennessee's quarterback Milton. If he can be at 65% completion percentage overall and at least 50% on throws of 30 yards or more, Tennessee will find themselves with their first Top 10 finish in a generation.

Tennessee and Clemson are playing in the Orange Bowl. Clemson won 10 regular season games for the first time in 22 years in 2011. Two years later, Clemson beat Ohio State in an Orangebowl.