Discover Orange Bowl
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Clemson Tigers
Jan. 4, 8:30 pm ET
Sun Life Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
Website: http://www.orangebowl.org/index.html
TV: ESPN
Line: Clemson -3.0
This is the one BCS bowl game that no one wants to watch outside of South Carolina and West Virginia. That may not be totally true, but very few folks believe these two teams really deserve a spot in the prestigious Orange Bowl.
But don’t discount the potential for excitement in this game as we have two outstanding quarterbacks in Clemson’s Tajh Boyd and WVU’s Geno Smith. Both programs also have explosive receivers and two of the more animated coaches in the game.
Making This All Possible
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Get To Know: West Virginia
The Mountaineers shared the Big East championship with Cincinnati and Louisville with identical 5-2 records. WVU earned the BCS berth as the only one of the three in the BCS rankings. West Virginia reached the Orange Bowl in Dana Holgorsen’s first season, and it is possibly the Mountaineers’ final season in the Big East. WVU hopes to be in the Big 12 in 2012.
Get To Know: Clemson
When Clemson opened the season 8-0, there were a lot of fans who expected the Tigers to reach at least the Orange Bowl. There were some who were hoping for the BCS National Championship. Then, like almost every other Clemson team, they lost games that no one ever expected and you figured the Tigers were out of contention. Well, they ripped heavily favored Virginia Tech in the ACC title game and now Dabo Swinney’s team is in the Orange Bowl.
You Should Know…
The Orange Bowl used to have one of the best halftime shows of any bowl game. It has also been the site of some of the greatest bowl games in history. However, that all happened at the old Orange Bowl stadium that was razed. The site is now where the Miami Marlins are building their new baseball stadium that will open in 2012.
If You’re Going
While there are some great places to go in Miami (like South Beach), I’d suggest you venture up north a little to Broward County and visit Old Florida Seafood House in Wilton Manors. It has outstanding food and a cozy atmosphere.
If You’re Watching At Home
Use your orange juice as a mixer. Make a screwdriver, fuzzy navel or mimosa. I would also recommend eating a salmon steak off the grill and maybe you’ll feel like you’re in south Florida.
Prediction
Clemson’s defense has some holes, but not enough that makes me think WVU will run all over them. The Tigers offense is very strong with Boyd and Sammy Watkins through the air. However, the key to this game could be Andre Ellington running the ball on WVU’s 3-3-5 defense.
Each team has concerns that could make a difference in this game. WVU’s offense goes on scoring droughts and the defense struggles to get off the field. Clemson hasn’t been in this big of a game in more than two decades and the Tigers have a history of imploding.
Clemson 28, West Virginia 20
