Orange Bowl

Alongside the Sugar and Sun bowls as the second-oldest college football bowls, the Miami-based Orange Bowl followed in the footsteps of the Rose Bowl and created their own braggadocios Festival of Palms, praising their warm late-December weather. The Orange Bowl was originally played at Miami Field from 1935 to 1938 until the construction of the Miami Orange Bowl Stadium, where it was contested each year until 1996, when the game was moved to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

On New Year’s Day in 1934, two games were played in Miami between the University of Miami and their invited teams. Miami ended the day with one win and one loss, and the NCAA decided not to count the games because they considered it a berth. Seeing the revenue potential, they decided not to waste an opportunity, and decided to back a New Year’s Day game in 1935 under the Orange Bowl name.

Currently sponsored by Capital One, the Orange Bowl has been known by a few different names, including previous sponsorships: the Discover Orange Bowl, and the FedEx Orange Bowl. NBC initially owned the rights to broadcast the Orange Bowl, making history in 1964 by airing the Texas vs Alabama game, the first college bowl game to ever be televised in prime time. NBC owned the rights to the Orange Bowl for many years, ending their contract in 1994 and passing the reins to CBS for a short stint, where it was then passed to ABC, then Fox, and now is carried by ESPN until its contract expires in 2026.

The Orange Bowl initially featured Big 8 conference champions, but between 1998 and 2005, they steered toward the ACC and Big East conference champions. Now, the Orange Bowl is nicknamed the Home of the ACC Champion, which signifies the representation and affiliation with the Atlantic Coast Conference every year since 2006. The ACC locked in a 12-year contract with the Orange Bowl and will host an ACC champion when they are not host to the semifinals. If the ACC champion is headed to the semifinal when the Orange Bowl is not a semifinal host, the next highest-ranked ACC team will play in the Orange Bowl.

Oklahoma has made 19 appearances in the Orange Bowl, capturing 12 wins, followed by Nebraska with 17 appearances and eight wins, and Miami with nine appearances and six wins. The Orange Bowl MVP Award has gone to some incredible players who have gone on to be NFL greats, including first ever game MVP recipient Joe Namath, and even current NFL stars including Carson Palmer, Aqib Talib and Andrew Luck.

This year’s Orange Bowl on December 30 features the Wisconsin Badgers and Miami Hurricanes. Don’t miss out on any betting opportunities; keep an eye on the Orange Bowl matchup for news and betting trends from our expert editorial staff before you place any Orange Bowl wagers.

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