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Orange Bowl 2013: Seminoles happy to return to South Florida

Florida State is back in the Orange Bowl for the first time since 2006.

Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

Florida State Seminoles' coach Jimbo Fisher is happy to be back in South Florida, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.

The Seminoles are back in South Florida to play Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2013, at 8:30 p.m. ET. It's the Seminoles' first trip to the Orange Bowl since 2006. Florida State is looking for its first bowl win since 2000's national championship victory:

"We act like we've been here a bunch of times," the Seminoles coach said Wednesday after his team stepped off its plane for the Jan. 2 Discover Orange Bowl showdown against Northern Illinois. "But we haven't been here in awhile."

The Seminoles (11-2) will face a hot Huskies team who has won 21 of its last 22 games. Northern Illinois went 12-1 this season and 8-0 in the MAC.

Florida State is riding momentum after winning the ACC championship game. After losing to No. 4 Florida, 37-26, the Seminoles beat Georgia Tech and its challenging running game, 21-15, in the championship game.

The Seminoles will need to contend with quarterback Jordan Lynch. Lynch completed 63 percent of his passes this season for 2,962 yards and 24 touchdowns. He threw just five picks. He was also a huge threat on the ground. He rushed for 1,771 yards and 19 touchdowns.

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