Orange Bowl: #5 Texas A&M v. #13 North Carolina

Who will WIN this matchup?

#5 Texas A&M Aggies (8-1)

#13 North Carolina Tar Heels (8-3)

Current odds:

Texas A&M Aggies: (-340)

North Carolina Tar Heels: (+280)

•  The line for this game is Texas A&M by 9.5 points.

•  Motivation could be a huge factor for the Orange Bowl participants as No. 13 North Carolina collides with No. 5 Texas A&M on Jan. 2 in Miami. Texas A&M (8-1) was one spot away from making its first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Instead, the Aggies will go to the Orange Bowl for the first time since a 1944 loss to LSU.

•  The Aggies were second in the Southeastern Conference’s West Division behind top-ranked Alabama, which delivered the lone blemish on the Texas A&M record. Since then, they’ve won seven straight games.

•  North Carolina (8-3) tied for fourth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but the Tar Heels are the highest-rated team in the league other than CFP selections Clemson and Notre Dame. With the ACC’s tie-in with the Orange Bowl, that reserved a spot for North Carolina.

•  The Tar Heels and Aggies have never previously met. All in the past decade, Texas A&M has faced the other three ACC teams from the state of North Carolina in bowls, defeating Duke (2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl) and North Carolina State (2018 Gator Bowl) and losing to Wake Forest (2017 Belk Bowl).

•  North Carolina running back Michael Carter, who was part of a record-setting rushing duo with Javonte Williams, receiver Dyami Brown and linebacker Chazz Surratt all announced the day after the bowl pairings were announced that they would skip the bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft. Carter rushed for 1,245 yards and nine touchdowns this season, Brown became the first player in school history with two 1,000-yard receiving seasons and Surratt is the top pro prospect on the defense.

•  North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell has a connection to Fisher, who was involved in initial recruiting contact with the strong-armed thrower while he was still Florida State’s coach. Howell later pledged to play for Florida State before altering his decision and stay in his home state to suit up for the Tar Heels.

•  Texas A&M has a stellar quarterback with Kellen Mond, whose four-year credentials include school records. This year, he has 19 touchdown passes with three interceptions. Running back Isaiah Spiller has rushed for 993 yards and seven touchdowns.

•  North Carolina was in position for this bowl bid by winning in Hard Rock Stadium, where the Orange Bowl will be played, in its Dec. 12 regular-season finale with a 62-26 upset of Miami. Carter and Williams combined for 544 rushing yards in the game, setting a Football Bowl Subdivision record for a twosome.