MIAMI GARDENS – No. 7 Clemson (11-2) and No. 6 Tennessee (10-2) were seen as teams with legitimate College Football Playoff hopes this year.

But both teams suffered their two losses at inopportune times and ended up playing in a New Year’s Six bowl game instead.

Clemson went on to win the ACC title earlier this month, while Tennessee found itself in the good graces of the CFP decision makers despite not reaching the SEC title game.

With that said, both teams were selected to play in this year’s Orange Bowl, which should be a great one with a potentially great matchup.

We have two exceptional coaches in Dabo Swinney (Clemson) and Josh Heupel (Tennessee). We also have two exciting  quarterbacks in Cade Klubnik (Clemson freshman) and Joe Milton III (Tennessee senior).

In the ACC title game against No. 23 North Carolina, Klubnik filled in for former starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, completing 20 of 24 passes for 279 yards and one touchdown to propel his team to an easy 39-10 win on Dec. 3.

Meanwhile, Milton’s last outing was against Vanderbilt on Nov. 26, when he completed 11 of 21 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown to help his team earn a 56-0 win.

Both quarterbacks will play key roles in how the Orange Bowl will ultimately turn out tonight (Dec. 30; 8 p.m. on ESPN) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

They will not be the only ones in the spotlight.

Since this is a team game, let us look at how both offenses and defenses fared throughout the season.

CLEMSON

Team leaders outside of quarterback position: 

•Running back Will Shipley – 193 carries, 1,110 yards, 15 touchdowns 

•Wide receiver Antonio Williams – 53 receptions, 563 yards, four touchdowns 

•Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. – 80 tackles, 6.5 sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble

•Safety R.J. Mickens – 41 tackles, three interceptions, two pass breakups

TENNESSEE 

Team leaders outside of quarterback position:

•Running back Jaylen Wright – 135 carries, 786 yards, 10 touchdowns

•Wide receiver Jaylin Hyatt – 67 receptions, 1,267 yards, 15 touchdowns 

•Linebacker Aaron Beasley – 64 tackles, one sack

•Defensive back Trevon Flowers – 57 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, one sack

TEAM OFFENSIVE STATS

•Clemson: 451 total points; 34.7 points per game; 56 touchdowns

•Tennessee: 568 points; 47.3 points per game; 75 touchdowns

TEAM DEFENSIVE STATS

•Clemson: 261 points allowed in 13 games; 20.07 points allowed per game 

•Tennessee: 282 points allowed in 12 games; 23.5 points allowed per game

SKINNY: Expect a high scoring game with both offenses making big plays at various points. Expect both teams to make key defensive stops at points as well. 

This one can come down to two things: special teams play and turnovers. The team that wins those two areas should win the Orange Bowl tonight.

PHOTO CREDITS: Tennessee Football and Will Shipley