Georgia's Kirby Smart on Lack of Orange Bowl Opt-Outs: 'They Want to Go out on Top'

Unlike their opponent in the Orange Bowl, the Georgia Bulldogs are likely going to have most of their roster available to play on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a matchup with Florida State, head coach Kirby Smart was asked about the lack of opt-outs from his team:

"The leaders of the team spearheaded that. I stayed out of it. I met with each player who was draft eligible and the seniors, and I was very honest. Then they had to make a decision with their family. But they want to go out on top. They don't want their last Georgia outing to be the SEC championship."

A combination of injuries, players entering the transfer portal and declaring for the NFL draft has left Florida State without at least 20 players from its regular-season depth chart.

Jordan Travis, Keon Coleman, Tate Rodemaker, Trey Benson, Jared Verse, Johnny Wilson and Jaheim Bell are among the players who won't be on the field for the Seminoles.

Benson led the team in rushing yards (906) and total touchdowns (15) during the regular season. Coleman, Wilson and Bell were their top three receivers by yardage. Verse led the team with nine sacks and ranked second with 12.5 tackles for loss.

By comparison, Georgia hasn't had any players officially opt out at this point. Brock Bowers and Amarius Mims didn't travel with the team to Miami earlier this week, as both players have been dealing with ankle injuries throughout the season.

Mims posted a picture on his Instagram Story on Thursday of himself driving into Miami. It's unclear if Bowers has arrived, with Smart merely offering a coy "we'll see" when asked on Friday his star tight end would play.

Much has been made of this matchup because Florida State finished the regular season with a 13-0 record and won the ACC championship, but missed the College Football Playoff when the selection committee dropped it to No. 5 in the final rankings.

Alabama, which defeated Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, leapfrogged the Seminoles for the final playoff spot.

There is a possibility that Florida State will claim the 2023 national title with a victory over Georgia. As a result of all the opt-outs from the Seminoles side, Georgia is currently a 20-point favorite over the ACC champs.