Orange Bowl 2021: Date, Game Time, TV Schedule and Matchup Prediction

The Georgia Bulldogs might not have to travel far to play in the College Football Playoff. 

If the top-ranked Bulldogs win the SEC Championship Game, they should be locked in for a trip one state south to play in the Orange Bowl.

The Orange Bowl would be the preferred location for the Bulldogs because of its proximity to Athens, Georgia, and its distance from Stillwater, Oklahoma. 

The Oklahoma State Cowboys would be the first beneficiary of Georgia's potential win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. The other semifinal is scheduled for the Cotton Bowl, which is where the Big 12 Championship Game will be played.

If Georgia and Oklahoma State do battle in Miami, it would give us one of the best defensive matchups of the season. Both teams boast top 10 defenses. Georgia is on top of most defensive metrics going into championship weekend, and Oklahoma State is not far behind. 

Orange Bowl Information

Date: Friday, December 31

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET or 7:30 p.m. ET 

TV: ESPN 

Matchup Prediction

No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Oklahoma State 

Location does not always play a factor in where the No. 1 seed plays its national semifinal, but it makes too much sense for Georgia to head to Miami to force Oklahoma State to travel a bit. 

Two of the last three No. 1 seeds out of the SEC played inside the conference's regional footprint to begin the playoff. 

The LSU Tigers played in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta to start their national championship run, and the Alabama Crimson Tide took part in the Orange Bowl as the No. 1 seed three years ago. 

The Orange Bowl hosted two No. 1-versus-No. 4 clashes in its history as a semifinal site. The Clemson Tigers came to south Florida in 2015 as the top seed. Both Clemson and Alabama beat a fourth-seeded Oklahoma Sooners side in those games. 

History could repeat itself again with a fourth-ranked Big 12 team making the trip to south Florida. 

Oklahoma State might be better equipped to challenge the SEC champion this time around because of its defense. 

The Cowboys rank third in yards conceded per game and fifth in points allowed per contest. They held all but one of their opponents to 24 points or fewer. 

Mike Gundy's team rebounded from its largest point concession to hold Oklahoma's offense without a point in the second half of "Bedlam" on Saturday to reach the Big 12 Championship Game. 

Oklahoma State held the Baylor Bears to 14 points back on October 2. That is a good sign for what could transpire at AT&T Stadium. 

Oklahoma State should get into the playoff with a win and an Alabama loss to Georgia. So for now, the Cowboys are the biggest fans of the No. 1 seed. 

Georgia should be favored to defeat Alabama because of its top-rated defense that leads the FBS in yards and points allowed per game. 

Kirby Smart's team has taken every challenge head on and thrived, starting with the 10-3 win over Clemson to begin the season. Georgia has not allowed a single opponent to score more than 17 points. 

Georgia's offense has gotten better as the season went along. The Bulldogs eclipsed the 40-point threshold in four straight games. 

The No. 1 team has not scored less than 30 points since it defeated Clemson 10-3 in Charlotte on September 4. 

Georgia has had the more consistent offense and much better defense than Alabama, which is why it should capture the SEC crown.

If that happens, Oklahoma State will move up from No. 5 to No. 4 with a victory and set up a SEC-versus-Big 12 clash in Miami on New Year's Eve.