Miami to play LSU in Peach Bowl

<p>The Peach Bowl will match two top 10 teams for the first time in its history, as No. 9 Miami will play No. 10 LSU in the Dec. 30 game in the Georgia Dome.</p><p>Each team will be making a repeat trip to the Georgia Dome.</p><p>Miami played in last season's Peach Bowl, defeating Florida 27-10. LSU lost to Georgia Saturday night, 34-14, in the Southeastern Conference championship game in the Georgia Dome.</p><p>Peach Bowl chairman Leeman Bennett called the pairing of Miami (9-2) and LSU (10-2) "a dream game."</p><p>"To be able to have Miami back in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and match them against a top 10 LSU team is a dream game for us," Bennett said.</p><p>"The Hurricanes showed us last year that they were a first-class program, and we're very excited to have them back."</p><p>Miami was ranked as high as third in late November after winning eight straight games, including a 27-7 win over then No. 3 Virginia Tech.</p><p>"We're very excited about the matchup in this game," said Miami head coach Larry Coker. "We're going to play an outstanding LSU team, and we think it's one of the best matchups of this bowl season. We have said all along we wanted to play the best opponent, and we got that."</p><p>LSU was No. 3 in the nation before falling to the Bulldogs.</p><p>LSU coach Les Miles lobbied this week for a spot in the Cotton Bowl, which instead issued an invitation to Alabama. LSU accepted the Peach Bowl invitation.</p><p>"This football team will look forward to playing in the next contest, wherever that contest is," Miles said Saturday night.</p><p>LSU leads the series with Miami 8-3. The two split their last two meetings, most recently with Miami beating the Tigers in 1988.</p><p>"This is a very strong game," said Peach Bowl president Gary Stokan. "We have arguably the equivalent of a BCS matchup this year."</p><p>Miami is making a bowl appearance for the eighth consecutive season. The Hurricanes are 2-0 all-time in the Peach, having also defeated Virginia Tech following the 1980 season.</p><p>"The LSU-Miami matchup is a very attractive game," Coker said. "There's the BCS national championship game between Southern California and Texas and the Fiesta Bowl between Notre Dame and Ohio State. And now there's Miami-LSU. People watching television will want to watch this game."</p>

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