Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Dec. 31
Where: Sun Life Stadium, Miami, Fl.
TV: ESPN
Westgate Superbook line: Mississippi State -6.5

Coming off its best regular season in school history, No. 7 Mississippi State looks to add to its historic season in its bowl game. The Bulldogs last appeared in the Orange Bowl in 1941, a seven-decade layoff that coincides with the previous best season in Starkville.

For a good chunk of the season, Mississippi State trucked along as the No. 1 team in the nation after knocking off three consecutive top-1o opponents, looking like a good bet to make it to the inaugural College Football Playoff. After spending five weeks at the top of the rankings, the Bulldogs dropped two of their final three games to drop out of playoff contention.

Despite the disappointing finish, Mississippi State earned a pretty good consolation prize: a date with ACC runner-up Georgia Tech in a New Year’s Six bowl. The No. 12 Yellow Jackets pushed No. 3 Florida State to the brink it the ACC title game, finishing the season with a 10-3 record.

Five things to watch

  1. Dak’s farewell? Quarterback Dak Prescott has maintained all season that he would enter the NFL draft if he thought he would go in the first couple of rounds. Mississippi State is losing a lot of talent after this year, but if Dak jumps to the draft it would greatly hurt the Bulldogs’ chances of sustained success.
  2. Turnover issues. Prescott in particular had some turnover-prone spurts late in the season, which could spell doom against a Yellow Jackets defense that makes offenses pay for mistakes; Georgia Tech scored six defensive touchdowns in 2014.
  3. Saner defense. Mississippi State lost Geoff Collins, coordinator of the Psycho Defense, to Jim McElwain and Florida. Will the defense have the same edge against Georgia Tech’s triple option?
  4. Defending the deep ball. Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas averages nearly 18 yards per completion, and he’ll have to try to take advantage of the Bulldogs’ Achilles’ heel.
  5. Robinson’s re-emergence. Running back Josh Robinson piled up nearly 900 rushing yards in the Bulldogs’ first seven games, but disappeared down the stretch. Will Dan Mullen be able to lean on him in the Orange Bowl?

Mississippi State

Motivation: History is on the line. Mississippi State has already posted its most regular season victories ever, and the Bulldogs have a chance to set the bar for most wins in school history. It’s been 15 years since the school’s last 10-win season; with that track record this kind of opportunity may not come along again in the near future, especially with Prescott eyeing the NFL draft.

If you’re never seen them play: The Bulldogs run a fun-to-watch spread running offense, led by Prescott and Robinson. Both Prescott and Robinson are threats to break a long run, and Dak isn’t afraid to air it out. The Bulldogs defense is as good as anyone in the red zone, but has been leaking big plays all season, mainly through the air.

Weakness: Big-play defense. Mississippi State was near the bottom of the SEC in explosive plays allowed, giving up conference-worst 23 passes of 30-or-more yards. While the Yellow Jackets are a run-heavy option team, when they pass they like to go deep, which could spell trouble for the Bulldogs.

Georgia Tech

Motivation: Shut down the critics. The ACC gets a bad rap in comparison to the SEC, but Georgia Tech was a big part of proving people wrong in the regular season’s final week, knocking off rival Georgia. While Mississippi State isn’t a traditional power, they were the second-best team in the SEC this year, and a win over the Bulldogs would do wonders for GT’s reputation.

If you’ve never seen them play: Get ready for old-school football. The Yellow Jackets run a triple-option offense, averaging 336 yards per game on the ground. Thomas is their leading rusher, and two running backs both had more than 750 yards. The defense allowed more than 5 yards per carry in 2014, a good omen for the Bulldogs, but GT was incredibly opportunistic, with 27 takeaways and those six defensive scores.

Weakness: Lack of a deep threat. Senior receiver DeAndre Smelter tore his ACL against Georgia, leaving the Yellow Jackets without their top receiver. Thomas is more than capable of throwing it deep, but he might not have anyone there, even against Mississippi State’s weak secondary.