The No. 9 Florida Gators will take on the No. 24 Virginia Cavaliers in the Orange Bowl. The Gators and Cavaliers have only ever played one time in either school’s history (1959).
The Cavaliers finished the season with a 9-4 record after a 62-17 loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship game. Virginia opened up the season 4-0 with wins over Pittsburgh and Florida State before losing to Notre Dame. They dropped games against Miami and Louisville in October before finishing the regular season with four consecutive wins, including a 39-30 win over in-state rival Virginia Tech.
Record: 9-4
@ Pittsburgh — W 30-14
William & Mary — W 52-17
Florida State — W 31-24
Old Dominion — W 28-17
@ Notre Dame — L 35-20
@ Miami — L 17-9
Duke — W 48-14
@ Louisville — L 28-21
@ North Carolina — W 38-31
Georgia Tech — W 33-28
Liberty — W 55-27
Virginia Tech — W 39-30
Clemson — L 62-17 (ACC Championship Game)
National rankings
Offense
Scoring: 42 (32.4 points per game)
Rushing: 111 (126.54 yards per game)
Passing: 37 (263.5 yards per game)
Total: 82 (390 yards per game)
Defense
Scoring: 59 (26.5 points allowed per game)
Rushing: 30 (130 yards per game)
Passing: 69 (228.2 yards per game)
Total: 40 (358.2)
Statistical leaders:
Passing: Senior Bryce Perkins: 292-456 (64%). 3,215 yards, 18 TD, 11 INT
Rushing: Senior Bryce Perkins: 213 carries, 745 yards, 11 touchdowns | Sophomore Wayne Taulapapa: 111 carries, 459 yards, 12 TD
Receiving: Senior Hasise Dubois 65 receptions, 979 yards, 4 TDs
Tackles: Junior Zane Zandier: 95 tackles (42 solo) | Joey Blount 90 tackles (55 solo)