FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The scenario is too far-fetched for even Brock Glenn to have thought about: A third-string quarterback in his first year of college gets to take the field and lead Florida State into the Orange Bowl with a shot at an undefeated season.
“If you would’ve told me this would happen, this story,” Glenn said, “I wouldn’t believe you.”
Believe it. The scenario that was beyond Glenn’s imagination is now his reality, and the 6-foot-2, 213-pound freshman from Covington, Tennessee, is about to get what he calls “a once in a lifetime opportunity.” No. 4 Florida State (13-0, No. 5 College Football Playoff ranking) takes on No. 6 Georgia (12-1, No. 6 CFP) in the Orange Bowl at 4 p.m. Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, with ESPN televising the matchup.
Glenn got the starting job this week because Jordan Travis, who led Florida State into national title contention, is out with a broken leg and former backup Tate Rodemaker — who started the past two games behind center for the Seminoles and likely would have started the Orange Bowl — opted out and is seeking to transfer.
“The Orange Bowl is an awesome bowl. It’s one of the best in the country,” Glenn said. “And we’ve got a great opportunity in front of us playing Georgia, a great team. We’re also a great team, so it’s going to be a great game. We’re genuinely excited and thankful for the opportunity.”
Glenn has completed 10 of 25 passes for 90 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Almost all his playing time came in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, when Florida State beat Louisville to send one last message to the CFP selection committee that the Seminoles — with or without Travis, a Heisman Trophy contender before his season-ending injury _ deserved a chance to play for the national title.
The committee disagreed, leaving the unbeaten ACC champs out of the four-team playoff as Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama were selected, and the Orange Bowl is the consolation prize. The Florida State team that will take the field Saturday is not the same team that went 13-0 — several key players have opted out or entered the NCAA transfer portal — and lineup changes had to be made almost everywhere.
Florida State’s two leading passers are out or gone, along with the top four Seminoles in rushing yards, the three leaders in receiving yards and the top five in terms of total receptions. Top wide receiver Keon Coleman made his departure official on Wednesday, saying he will make himself available for the NFL draft.
“We all shared a common goal,” Coleman wrote in a letter to the Seminoles football community. “You wanted to win a championship. I came here to win a championship. We gave it everything we had and unfortunately did not have the opportunity to prove that we were the best team in college football this year.”
There is an obvious unpredictability to Florida State’s approach this weekend, because many of the players who will be in key spots won’t have held those same roles during the regular season. That also might be a challenge for Georgia in terms of getting ready for the Orange Bowl.
“We just kind of prepare how we prepare,” Georgia defensive linemen Mykel Williams said. “We prepare for every game the same way. We just expect to come in and do what we do to the best of our ability.”
The Bulldogs, the Southeastern Conference runners-up to Alabama after winning the past two national titles, are two-touchdown favorites. Florida State hasn’t been this big of an underdog in a game since October 2021, when the Seminoles were on their way to a 5-7 season.
“We just worry about what we can control,” Glenn said, “and we’ll do what we can with the opportunity.”