Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl Moves to New Year’s Eve This Season
Florida Citrus Sports (FCSports) CEO Steve Hogan and President Harold Mills (ZeroChaos) announced today the date for this year’s Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl which will be played on Saturday, December 31 at 11:00 a.m. ET. The game will serve as the lead-in game for the College Football Playoff Semifinals later that day and will be televised nationally by ABC.
“With January 1 falling on a Sunday this season, we are taking advantage of a rare opportunity to open one of the biggest days on the college football calendar with the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl,” said Hogan.
Tickets to this year’s games – including the Russell Athletic Bowl, which will have its date announced at a later time — are available now through Florida Citrus Sports membership ticket packages. FCSports members have priority access to the best available seats, including the Orlando Citrus Bowl’s new sideline clubs other premium areas. Membership also provides access to the best seats for the 2016 Kickoff game, featuring Florida State and Ole Miss on September 5.
Last year’s games saw 103,531 fans go through the stadium’s turnstiles while setting a stadium post-construction record 63,113 for the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl between Florida and Michigan. Fans have raved about the amenities of the new stadium which include wider aisles, chair-back seats with more legroom in an all-new lower bowl. Club spaces, loge boxes and a 20,000-square-foot deck highlight a new plaza level that circles the entire stadium.
The Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, the nation’s seventh-longest running postseason bowl, will host its 71st game on New Year’s Eve. It has featured some of the great games and names in college football history and continues with its matchup that features premier teams from the SEC and Big Ten (or ACC/Notre Dame). Michigan defeated Florida, 41-7 in last year’s game. Traditionally held on New Year’s Day, when January 1 falls on a Sunday (as it does in 2017), the schedule is adjusted.