Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
TONIGHT’S ORANGE BOWL
As FSU readies for fifth-straight bowl, coach Jimbo Fisher pleased with consistency.
FORT LAUDERDALE — The consistency of the program is what impresses Florida State football coach Jimbo Fisher the most.
When his Seminoles take the field for the Orange Bowl against Michigan tonight at Hard Rock Stadium, it will mark the fifth consecutive year they have played in a playoff or New Year’s Six game. That is the type of stability Fisher is hoping to sustain throughout his tenure in Tallahassee.
“It’s five in a row,” Fisher said this week. “Only two teams in the country have done that right now, to have five in a row New Year’s Six matchups, whether it’s national championships or playoff games or New Year’s Six games, we’re one of those two teams. Very proud to do that. It shows the consistency in our program, and that’s why I’m looking for even better things in the future.”
Although the goal at Florida State is always to compete for a national championship, the Seminoles are taking a serious approach in chasing the consolation prize. A victory would ensure a 10-win season and a strong performance could only help FSU’s recruiting in fertile South Florida.
“Ten wins will mean a lot,” FSU defensive back Marquez White said. “Just with all the adversity we had to battle this season with people counting us out. A lot of people didn’t think we would be here, only we did, and it shows the heart and passion and love we have.”
The Wolverines, who had their national title aspirations dashed the last week of the
“My home crowd and a majority of my family is going to be out there.” FSU running back Dalvin Cook
regular season, are taking a similar approach. Coach Jim Harbaugh also realizes the importance of a strong showing in the state where he spends lots of time recruiting. A victory would also lessen the sting of the narrow loss to Ohio State that knocked Michigan out of the playoff picture.
“You know, winning the Orange Bowl championship is our goal now,” Harbaugh said. “That's a lot, in our minds. We want to win the most awards. We want to get the best grades. We want to excel at sports, and we have that opportunity to win a trophy.”
The game could also serve as a parting gift for Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook. A Miami native, this is likely the final game as a collegian for Cook. He will decide afterward if he is going to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft. Most draft experts project Cook as a first-round pick.
“It means a lot,” Cook said. “My home crowd and a majority of my family is going to be out there. Going to compete with my guys, once again, is always a great feeling.”
As for Fisher, the constant success is why it was an easy decision to start thinking long-term. Despite receiving interest from LSU and Texas, Fisher signed a two-year contract extension earlier this month. He wanted to make it clear he plans to remain at FSU.
“Yeah, it’s good,” Fisher said. “We want to stay here; we like it here. We’re doing some great things. We’ve got a tremendous young team with only nine seniors on the whole team. I like where we’re going for the future and what we have here.
“Have to keep recruiting well. Stability from recruiting and all that stuff just makes it so easy. We’ve got to go out and play well and do what we have to do, but very happy with that and very happy to be here.”
Both teams can agree they are finally ready to take the playing field. After a month of inactivity, the toughest part has been being idle in preparation for the final game of the season.
“The whole week you are excited to play in a bowl game and get prepared like you do every week,” Michigan linebacker Mike McCray said. “It just seems longer because we have been out not playing for about three weeks now.”