2011 Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech Will Face Stanford in Miami

Virginia Tech will face a tough challenge in its quest to win a third consecutive bowl game. The Orange Bowl committee has matched the Hokies up with the 11-1 Stanford Cardinal, who by virtue of finishing No. 4 in the final BCS standings were guaranteed a spot in a BCS game.

Stanford's only loss came at Oregon on Oct. 2 when the Ducks out-scored the Cardinal 28-0 in the second half to win 52-31. Since then, Stanford has won seven consecutive games.

The Cardinal are led by Heisman candidate quarterback Andrew Luck, who is 245-for-349 (70.2 percent) for 3,045 yards (8.7 ypa), 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. The Stanford defense was second in the Pac 10 in total defense and first in scoring defense, giving up 17.8 points per game.

While Stanford and its fans will have to travel across the country to get to Miami for the game on Jan. 3, the Orange Bowl selected them over Big East champion Connecticut, which will face Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. The bowl game's CEO, Eric Poms, said during a teleconference they selected Stanford because it would be more compelling to a national audience.

The Hokies will have their hands full with the Cardinal in what should be a very competitive Orange Bowl. For more on Stanford, visit SB Nation blog Rule of Tree.