Orange Bowl 2014: Known Info Before Final Playoff Rankings Reveal

Under the new College Football Playoff structure the top six bowl games rotate, serving as the national semifinals. Although the Orange Bowl will have to wait another year to fill that role, it should still receive a high-profile matchup for New Year's Eve.

The teams that will play in one of the sport's oldest bowl games will be determined by the selection committee based on its final rankings. The announcement will be made on Sunday afternoon at around 2:45 p.m. ET, according to the CFP's official site.

Before that happens, let's check out all of the important details for the 2014 Orange Bowl, along with a look at the selection process and the teams with the best chance to get picked for the marquee game.

Viewing Information

Where: Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida

When: Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Selection Process

The Orange Bowl is the only one of the non-semifinals being chosen by the committee with specific requirements. While the others will pit two at-large teams against each other, the showcase at Sun Life stadium is going to feature an ACC squad taking on one from either the SEC or Big Ten.

Notre Dame is also eligible for selection. Up until about a month ago, the Fighting Irish actually looked like strong contenders for the spot, but they proceeded to lose four straight games to finish the campaign, knocking them out of the mix.

Analyzing Potential Teams

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On the ACC side, Georgia Tech is the likely selection, with Florida State heading into the College Football Playoff. The Yellow Jackets reached the conference title game after winning the Coastal Division by one game over Duke.

Being selected for the Orange Bowl would be a nice accomplishment for a team that didn't receive much preseason hype. In fact, athletic director Mike Bobinski explained to Andrea Adelson of ESPN that the lack of respect helped fuel their strong season:

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I do believe the best thing that might have happened to us this year is when we got picked so low in the preseason.

We were already well on our way to having a good offseason and having a better locker room, having a group of guys that are more together and honestly care about each other, play for each other and push each other harder more than we had in recent years.

Adding that extra impetus of, 'Hey, we're not getting a whole lot of respect from folks' was a nice little addition to the mix.

"

As usual, it was the rushing attack leading the way for Georgia Tech. It ran for more than double the yards it passed for, which is amazing considering the direction the game has headed in recent years, with more and more teams relying on the pass from spread looks.

A lot of credit goes to head coach Paul Johnson and his staff for implementing a system that can power its way to success, even when the opponent knows what's coming.

Other options include Clemson and Louisville, but either one being slotted above the Yellow Jackets would be a surprise.

As for their opponent, two teams stand out from the crowd—one from each of the conferences involved (SEC and Big Ten).

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From the SEC, it's Mississippi State. The Bulldogs finished second in the very difficult West Division behind only Alabama. They finished 10-2, which was highlighted by an extremely impressive three-game stretch in which they knocked off LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn.

The only downside is that their two losses came late in the campaign. Neither was a bad defeat, coming on the road to the Crimson Tide and rival Ole Miss. But the committee has put high value on current form, so losing twice in the final three weeks hurts.

That's why the edge probably goes to Michigan State out of the Big Ten. The Spartans were two spots higher in the rankings in the latest release. Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press thinks that will probably secure their Orange Bowl berth:

Michigan State also ended the regular season with a 10-2 record. Although the level of competition wasn't as high in the Big Ten as it was in the SEC, the committee seemingly believes the Spartans' numerous blowout wins down the stretch offset that.

Of course, the committee has already pulled off some surprising moves since the initial rankings were released back in October. Nothing is official until all of the games from championship weekend are taken into consideration.

All the teams with a chance will soon discover their fate.