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Published Dec 8, 2019
Gators are set for second NY6 bowl in two seasons, heading to Orange Bowl
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Jacquie Franciulli  •  1standTenFlorida
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@JacquieFran_

It's another New Year's Six Bowl for Florida's Dan Mullen.

The Gators are headed to the Orange Bowl after ranking No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff Ranking released on Sunday. By ranking at No. 9, UF is the second highest-ranked SEC team and is ranked higher than a non-playoff and non-Rose Bowl bound Big Ten team and Notre Dame, sending them to South Florida.

UF will face No. 24 Virginia (9-4) in the Dec. 30th matchup in Miami Gardens.

"We're looking forward to our trip to Miami to play in the Orange Bowl and a second consecutive New Year's Six Bowl game," said Gators head coach Dan Mullen. "Our players and staff have done a great job all year focusing on how we could get better every day, along with developing our mental and physical toughness throughout the year. We finished strong and put ourselves in a position to win 11 games."

"We are honored to accept a bid to play in the Orange Bowl," said athletic director Scott Stricklin. "South Florida is an important region for our program, and home for many Gators. It is rewarding to see all of the work by Coach Mullen, the staff and players pay off with a second consecutive New Year's Six bowl, and it will be a great week in Miami for our players, staff and fans."

Despite the lop-sided loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship, the Cavaliers are coming off one of its best seasons in about a decade.

Bronco Mendenhall's side won the ACC Coastal by securing the team's first win over in-state rival Virginia Tech in 15 years.

The Orange Bowl will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida on Dec. 30 - kick off is slated to be at 8 p.m.

The rest of the field saw some changes from last week's rankings. Oklahoma also saw itself move up, sliding into a playoff spot after beating Baylor on Saturday, while Georgia saw itself move out of the top four after being dominated by LSU in the SEC Championship game.

The four teams headed to the playoffs are now: LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma. Georgia dropped down to five and will now head to the Sugar Bowl to face Baylor.

COMPLETE RANKINGS

1. LSU (13-0)

2. Ohio State (13-0)

3. Clemson (13-0)

4. Oklahoma (12-1)

5. Georgia (11-2)

6. Oregon (11-2)

7. Baylor (11-2)

8. Wisconsin (10-3)

9. Florida (10-2)

10. Penn State (10-2)

11. Auburn (9-3)

12. Utah (11-2)

13. Alabama (10-2)

14. Michigan (9-3)

15. Notre Dame (10-2)

16. Memphis (12-1)

17. Iowa (9-3)

18. Minnesota (10-2)

19. Boise State (12-1)

20. Appalachian State (12-1)

21. Cincinnati (10-3)

22. USC (8-4)

23. Navy (9-2)

24. Virginia (9-4)

25.Oklahoma State (8-4)