ACC, Orange Bowl agree to 12 year deal

[TrueOrange]

Included: ACC tie-in (if ACC champion makes playoff, then another ACC team will be selected in its place), ACC gets the TV rights for the game, game will be placed on New Year's Day at 1PM, and the other opponent will be open selection.

Atlantic Coast Conference agrees to 12-year deal with Discover Orange Bowl - ESPN

The Discover Orange Bowl will be played on New Year's Day at 1 p.m. ET and annually feature a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference beginning after 2014, results of a 12-year agreement announced Tuesday by the ACC and the bowl's committee.

The game will feature the champion of the ACC, unless that team is chosen to play in the newly announced four-team playoffs. In that case, a replacement team from the ACC would play in the Orange Bowl.

"The ACC and Discover Orange Bowl have a terrific relationship and, as we look ahead to the future of postseason college football, this will further an already beneficial partnership for both organizations," ACC commissioner John Swofford said in a statement. "The Discover Orange Bowl has a rich history of prestige, is located within the league's footprint and is a great destination for our student-athletes, alumni and fans. In addition to our continued partnership, we are very pleased to be playing annually on New Year's Day."

In addition, the Orange Bowl said it anticipates that it will host at least four semifinal games in the new playoff system.

The ACC has sent its champion to the South Florida-based bowl every year since 2006, and this announcement means that relationship will continue when the Bowl Subdivision makes the switch to a four-team playoff in two years.

"The Orange Bowl is extremely pleased to continue its relationship with the Atlantic Coast Conference," O. Ford Gibson, president and chair of the Orange Bowl Committee, said in the statement. "We are looking forward to entering this new era of postseason collegiate football with a valued partner and its historically successful member institutions."

The ACC becomes the fifth major conference to announce a tie with a bowl that expects to be part of the pool of six games from which two semifinal sites will rotate. The Big 12 and Southeastern Conference are creating the Champions Bowl for their representatives, while the Big Ten and Pac-12 are committed to the Rose Bowl.

 

[99gator]

the orange bowl probably had to get high before making this deal so they could feel good about it

 

[TrueOrange]

ACC commish talks Orange Bowl - ACC Blog - ESPN

There are still several questions the ACC must answer as it moves forward with its 12-year partnership with the Orange Bowl, namely who the opponent will be, who will get the TV rights, and how the ACC will choose its Orange Bowl rep if the league champion is playing in the new four-team playoff. I spoke with ACC commissioner John Swofford this afternoon to ask him those questions:

In your mind, who would be the ideal opponents for the ACC?

John Swofford: I think it could go several different directions as we talk through this. Anything specific I would say would be premature. One thing is certain, and that is, we will end up with a quality opponent on a prestigious day in a terrific bowl.

Would you go so far as to say which conference or conferences you would like to align with?

JS: It could be a conference, it could be multiple conferences, it could be considerably broader than that. We’ll just have to see as we continue the discussions on the possibilities.

What about specifically Notre Dame? Is that a possibility?

JS: I think it’s likely Notre Dame could be involved in the mix.

How much revenue do you think you could possibly generate from this?

JS: It’s hard to tell until we go to the marketplace, but it certainly has excellent value, as does the entire system that has been developed. One of the real pluses here for the ACC from a financial standpoint is that this game is a contract game, and therefore the revenue from it will largely benefit the ACC.

What does this do to solidify the stability of the conference moving forward?

JS: I think the stability has been there. This just accentuates that stability and it accentuates the strength of the conference as a selection of schools. It accentuates the potential our programs have.

How does the four-team playoff change this game for the ACC, if it does at all?

JS: I think the pluses systemically is that for our league, just like any other league at the FBS level, if we have a team or teams that are good enough and rated highly enough, our access to the national championship picture is equal to anyone else’s. Beyond that, it gives our champion an opportunity to play on New Year’s Day in a great location and a terrific bowl. If we have one team that goes to the semifinals as our champion, then a second ACC team will go to the Orange Bowl. If there are any years where we have two teams in the semifinals, then a third ACC team goes to the Orange Bowl. Being able to put a stake in the ground on New Year’s Day in the Orange Bowl and have our own contract game is a tremendous plus for our league.

How will a selection committee or polls and rankings factor into this for the ACC?

JS: It starts with our champion in terms of the Orange Bowl itself. If our champion is not in the top four, they’re in the Orange Bowl. If they are, then it’s up to the ACC and the bowl to determine which team other than our champion will play in the Orange Bowl that particular year. We’ll need to have a conversation about how that team is selected. It could be the next-highest rated team. It could be the loser of the championship game. We haven’t made that determination yet. I’d say it’s likely to be the highest-rated team, but we have some discussing to do about that.

So it’s not accurate to say it’s going to be the runner-up of the ACC title game?

JS: Not necessarily.

 

[rockytop9808]

ACC #1 vs. SEC #4. Sounds fair.

 

[Gountiss]

ACC #1 vs. SEC #4. Sounds fair.

You are being to generous to who the Orange Bowl will pick as the ACC's opponent. They will probably pick the 4th ranked team from the MAC or something stupid. I went in twice (Kansas and Stanford) and I absolutely hate that bowl.

 

[ukvols]

I hate Dolphin Stadium. You pretty much are stuck parking at the stadium. Everywhere else, you can find someone selling spots in their yard or at their business, or you can find city parking inside a garage or at a meter. At Dolphin Stadium, you're stuck paying whatever they decide to hit you with, and at WrestleMania, it was 40 bucks per car, regardless of how far or close you were able to park. 40 bucks. Pay it, or go home and don't use the tickets you're holding.