Camping World Bowl Betting History

College football bettors can be forgiven for their confusion over the history of the Camping World Bowl. Originally intended as a showcase for the then recently built Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, the game was first called the Sunshine Football Classic before being labeled as the Blockbuster Bowl in its 1990 debut.

A revolving door of sponsorships led to an array of subsequent name changes. After three years as the Blockbuster Bowl, the game was first rebranded as the Carquest Bowl in 1994, and was called MicronPC Bowl and MicronPC.com Bowl in its final three years in South Florida.

In 2001, the game moved to its current home at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium (now known as Camping World Stadium). The contest was briefly named the Tangerine Bowl as a salute to the predecessor to the present-day Citrus Bowl. Further sponsorship changes resulted in the game being called the Champs Sports Bowl from 2004 to 2011, and the Russell Athletic Bowl from 2012 to 2016, before it picked up its current label as the Camping World Bowl in 2017.

The Camping World Bowl now features matchups between teams from the ACC and the Big 12, and previously involved squads from the Big Ten, the former Big East and the American Athletic Conference.

The North Carolina State Wolfpack and Miami Hurricanes both made five appearances at this event through 2016, and are joined by the Florida State Seminoles as the only three-time winners.

Quarterback Philip Rivers became the first player to twice claim MVP honors at this contest, as a member of the Wolfpack in 2000 and 2003, before going on to star with the NFL’s San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers. N.C. State pivot Russell Wilson would follow in his footsteps as 2010 MVP before going on to lead the Seattle Seahawks to a 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos just three years later at Super Bowl XLVIII.

This year’s Camping World Bowl features the Syracuse Orange against the West Virginia Mountaineers. For the latest odds, a free pick and handicapping information, visit our Camping World Bowl Game Center.