Michigan faces Georgia in 2021 Orange Bowl

The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 2 Michigan Wolverines will face off in the 2021 Orange Bowl. The game will take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Kickoff is currently 3:30 p.m. on December 31st. The game will air on ESPN and will be available via live stream at WatchESPN.

Georgia (12-1, 8-0 SEC)

The Bulldogs lost in the SEC championship game as their vaunted defense couldn’t find an answer for Bryce Young after the first quarter. Prior to this game, the Bulldog defense hadn’t allowed more than 17 points in a game and averaged only 9.5 points allowed per game this season. We haven’t had to see how the Bulldogs would respond to a loss yet this season. They are going to look for their defense to bounce back and slow down the game for their offense to be it's most effective. Georgia sat at the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll, but a loss to Alabama for the SEC Championship had them fall to the No. 3 seed in the 2021 College Football Playoff.

Michigan (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten)

Under Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines have gotten off to strong starts a few times only for the Big Ten to expose them late in the year. Twin blows from Iowa and Ohio State ended Michigan’s title hopes in 2016 with a similar script playing out two seasons later. Accordingly, many remained skeptical when Harbaugh’s squad won their first seven games to kick off 2021, and the close loss to in-state rival Michigan State seemed to confirm those concerns. Of course, the Wolverines’ beatdown of the Buckeyes to close out the regular season changed the narrative. Michigan still looks somewhat antiquated on offense, but their defense has made major strides under first-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. A talent gap still exists with the top programs in the nation, but Harbaugh’s approach has allowed his team to remain competitive.