Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan and President Larry Ruffin announced today the dates for the 2011 Champs Sports Bowl and the 2012 Capital One Bowl, the centerpieces of Orlando Bowl Week.
The ’12 Capital One Bowl will be played at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 2nd – as all traditional Jan. 1 games have been moved away from that Sunday date -- while the ’11 Champs Sports Bowl will take place on Thursday, Dec. 29th at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Both games will be televised nationally by ESPN.
This year will mark just the fourth time since moving to a New Year’s date in 1987 that the Capital One Bowl has played on Jan. 2nd (1989, 1995 and 2006). The matchup will again feature the top non-BCS pick from the powerhouse Southeastern and Big Ten conferences as well as the highest payout ($9.1 million) among non-BCS games.
Though the date moves the Capital One Bowl out of its traditional Jan. 1st slot, the move will benefit Central Florida businesses as many bowl fans – who helped account for an estimated $73 million in economic impact last year – will stay in town one additional night.
“Orlando Bowl Week has traditionally been a boon for local businesses and we look forward to playing host to fans from our four great conference partners again in 2011-12,” said Ruffin. “Orlando has the best infrastructure of all bowl cities in terms of travel and entertainment and our matchups of top-flight teams make the week second-to-none.”
This year will mark the Champs Sports Bowl’s second year of pairing upper-tier teams from the Atlantic Coast and the Big East conferences. The 2011 Champs Sports Bowl, which will be played on Dec. 29th for the fifth time in its 22-year history, will again feature the second post-BCS selection from the ACC and the first post-BCS pick in the Big East, as well as the opportunity to select Notre Dame.
The Champs Sports Bowl has continued to make great progress since moving to Orlando. Last year was the first time in nine years that attendance dipped, an eight-year trend that was unmatched in the bowl industry. The 2011 payout of $4.55 million is also among the industry’s best for non-BCS games.
The Capital One Bowl, the nation’s seventh-longest running postseason bowl, will be in its 66th year in 2012. It has featured some of the great games and names in college football history. The Champs Sports Bowl has existed in name since 2004, but the game’s history extends for over 20 years now.
Originating as the Blockbuster Bowl in 1990 and played in Miami, the game was played under a number of titles before moving to Orlando in 2001 and serving as a reincarnation of the old Tangerine Bowl.
