Orange Bowl 2011: Everything You Need To Know About Stanford vs. Virginia Tech

Orange Bowl 2011 will be played Monday in front of a national audience. With Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck at the forefront, the 11-1, fourth-ranked Stanford Cardinal will take on No. 13 Virginia Tech.

Here is a breakdown of everything you’ll need to know about the Rose Bowl:

Coaching Matchup: With rumors of his departure looming, Jim Harbaugh leads Stanford into tonight's Orange Bowl with an 11-1 record. The Cardinal's only loss came to Oregon. Virginia Tech lost its first two games under head coach Frank Beamer but has run the table since, entering the Orange Bowl 11-2.

Players to Watch:

Stanford: QB Andrew Luck (3,051 yards, 28 TD); RB Stefan Taylor (1,023 yards, 15 TD); Doug Baldwin (824 yards, 9 TD)

Virginia Tech: QB Tyrod Taylor (2,521 yards, 23 TD); RB Darren Evans (817 yards, 11 TD); WR Jarrett Boykin (763 yards, 6 TD)

Offensive Matchup: Stanford ranks No. 9 in the FBS with 40.3 points per game. Virginia Tech is ranked 19th with 35.5 points per game.

Defensive Matchup: Two of the nation's top defenses will be on display as the No. 11 Cardinals (17.8 points per game) and the 16th-ranked Hokies (19.1 points per game) square off.

Strength of Schedule: Both teams have played a Top 5 team and lost. Looking past the ranked games, though, it's clear that these two teams have played a pretty similar schedule in terms of strength. Virginia Tech's loss to FCS power James Madison may tip the scales a bit in this category.

Bowl Game History: Stanford is 9-11-1 in postseason bowl games and will play in its first ever Orange Bowl. The Cardinal played in the Sun Bowl last year, falling to Oklahoma. Virginia Tech is 9-14 and will be making its fourth Orange Bowl appearance. The Hokies have made 18 straight bowls and last played in the Orange Bowl in the 2008 and 2009 postseasons.

Venue: The game will be played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Orange Bowl has been played annually since 1935. Sun Life Stadium, previously known as Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro Player Park and Pro Player Stadium, is home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins and MLB's Florida Marlins. Its football capacity is 75,192.