Breaking:Allegation turns out to be true for the Alabama man

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is “proud” that the Bulldogs haven’t had a non-transfer opt out of the Orange Bowl against Florida State. More than 20 Seminoles have decided against playing, including starting quarterback Tate Rodemaker, star running back Trey Benson and the team’s three leading receivers.

“The leaders of the team spearheaded [the lack of opt-outs],” Smart said. “I stay out of it. They want to go out on top. They don’t want their last Georgia outing to be what was the SEC Championship. They put their minds to it, and it was a little bit of almost a contagious deal. One guy did it, another guy did it and they wanted to play.”

Georgia could be down a couple of key players with injuries, including star tight end Brock Bowers and offensive lineman Amarius Mims. However, several starters, including Ladd McConkey, Kamari Lassiter, and Javon Bullard, are playing despite their possible early departures for the 2024 NFL Draft.

I’m certainly proud of the guys that decided to (play), and they want to finish together,” Smart said. “Finishing is important. I don’t think enough people talk about it. Everybody says this is what you should do. Kids who love football want to play football. This is the Orange Bowl. You’ve got an opportunity to go play in the Orange Bowl, and that’s not given to everybody.”

Florida State opened as a 14.0-point underdog in the matchup but has seen that spread grow to 20.5 points in some markets as opt-outs depleted the Seminoles’ roster. Florida State head coach Mike Norvell said the CFP committee’s controversial decision to leave the Seminoles out of the playoff “hurt” several players who opted out of the Orange Bow

There’s been some tough choices that guys have had to make,” Norvell said. “I support our players in their journey. It was hard. A lot of them were hurt by decisions of things that they couldn’t control. Ultimately, I believe in where we’re going, and we will continue to build through experiences. I’m grateful for all that our players have poured into our program throughout this journey.”

Norvell said he’ll never forget the feeling of getting left out of the playoff. The Seminoles are the first undefeated team to play in the Orange Bowl without it being a CFP semifinal or BCS National Championship Game since Nebraska in 1997