ACC, Orange Bowl reach 12-year agreement

Greensboro, NC, United States (4E Sports) – The Atlantic Coast Conference and the Orange Bowl have arrived at a 12-year agreement that will take their seven-year partnership through 2025.

The new deal extends the 2006 agreement between the two groups beginning in the 2014 season and calls for the participation of the ACC champion in the Orange Bowl if the school is not among the top four teams named by the Bowl Championship Series selection committee.

If this happens, the ACC Champion will participate in the national semifinals and a replacement team from the ACC would participate in the Discover Orange Bowl which will be played Jan. 1 at 1 p.m.

In addition to the partnership between the ACC and the Discover Orange Bowl, it is anticipated that the Orange Bowl will host at least four semifinal games in the new recently announced arrangement by the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee.

In the years that the Orange Bowl serves as a semifinal host, the ACC Champion would then participate in one of the three host bowls that will be established as per the direction of the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee. Details on both the opponent and broadcast partner will be released soon.

“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,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford.

“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,” he added.

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

The Discover Orange Bowl has been the home of the ACC Champion since 2006 and in the first seven years of partnership, five different ACC teams have competed. Throughout the 78 year history, nine of the current ACC institutions have played in at least one Orange Bowl.

The new deal means five of the six conferences of the BCS have future agreements with specific bowl games under the new playoff system with the Pac-12 and Big Ten remain tied to the Rose Bowl and the Big 12 and SEC will create the Champions Bowl that could rotate between the Sugar Bowl and Cotton Bowl. The only one left out is the Big East.

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