Having missed most of the 2016 season, it appears star sophomore safety Derwin James will not return for his team's final game of the year, Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher said Sunday.
Florida State learned Sunday it will face Michigan in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. But Fisher said during a late-afternoon conference call he does not expect James to play.
"I doubt if he does," Fisher said. "But we'll see."
James has been out since suffering a torn meniscus against Charleston Southern in Week 2. Fisher previously said he would examine the possibility of playing James in a bowl game. He's also said before James would not take a redshirt and will play next season as a true junior.
*ALSO SEE: FSU to face Michigan in the Orange Bowl
The teleconference was slated to have Fisher and Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh, who was not on the call. Harbaugh missed the call due to having issues with his flight, a moderator confirmed.
Fisher spoke for around 15 minutes about several topics, including his thoughts on why the College Football Playoff committee ranked his team higher than Louisville.
The Orange Bowl ties in the highest-ranked, non CFP-participating ACC team against the No. 2 team from the Big Ten, SEC or Notre Dame. FSU was crushed in a school-record 63-20 loss to Louisville in Week 3 at Louisville, Ky.
Louisville won the head-to-head matchup, yet both teams finished with 9-3 records. FSU went 4-0 in November, including a win over SEC East champion Florida. Louisville finished 2-2 and ended the season with consecutive losses to Houston and Kentucky.
"I think we finished very strong," Fisher said. "We won six of our last seven games, with our one loss being against Clemson."
Fisher said he believed the committee considered the strength of FSU's non-conference schedule when making a decision between the two teams. The Seminoles' FBS, non-conference schedule included Ole Miss, South Florida and Florida. They also played Charleston Southern, which reached the FCS playoffs.
FSU went 4-0 in non-conference play, and of those three FBS teams, two are playing in postseason bowls.
Louisville went 2-2 in non-conference games against Charlotte, Marshall, Houston and Kentucky. Both Houston and Kentucky - two games the Cardinals lost - are playing in bowl games, while Charlotte and Marshall finished a combined 7-17.
"Obviously Louisville owns the head-to-head in that matchup, but Florida State is a team that improved as the season went along," CFP committee chair Kirby Hocutt told ESPN minutes after the Orange Bowl pairing was announced. "A very talented team, and the selection committee felt like Florida State was the better football team at the end of this college football season than Louisville was playing at the time.
Fisher described the FSU-Michigan tilt as "a great reward" and a game between "two brand-name programs."
To Fisher's point, the Seminoles have won 531 games, 18 conference titles and three national titles. Meanwhile, the Wolverines have won 935 games, 42 conference titles and 11 national championships.
The Associated Press ranked Michigan seventh and FSU ninth in its All-Time Top 100 Poll, released earlier this season.
It will be the third time the two programs have played, with the series split at 1-1. The most recent game was when the Seminoles won in 1991.
Also during Sunday's call, Fisher talked about Harbaugh and a few Wolverines' players, like star linebacker Jabrill Peppers.
Fisher said he and Harbaugh have crossed paths a few times on the road while recruiting players but nothing beyond that. As for Peppers, he talked about the versatility of the Wolverines' do-everything star, who he deemed as one of the best players in college football.
Peppers finished the regular season with 72 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and an interception. He also rushed for 181 yards and three touchdowns while amassing 310 yards and a touchdown on punt returns and 260 kick return yards.
Fisher provided a cursory assessment of Michigan but said he and his staff used the last week to recruit while players took time to rest and recover. He said they'll start preparing for Michigan and likened the additional practices to a second spring camp.
Prior to being on the teleconference, the school issued a statement with Fisher discussing the Orange Bowl.
"We are very happy to be returning to the Orange Bowl," the statement read. "To be one of the only two teams to go to a New Year's Six/BCS game the last five years is great and it keeps that streak going which speaks to the culture of success we have built with this program."
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