Orlando to Host 2016 ACC Championship Game

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today that its annual conference championship game featuring the winner of their Atlantic and Coastal Divisions will be played at Camping World Stadium on December 3, 2016. The game will kick off in primetime and be televised live at 7:45 p.m. EST (if carried by ESPN) or 8 p.m. EST (if carried by ABC).

Via FloridaCitrusSports.com, here’s Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan on bringing the game to Orlando.

We’re thrilled to bring more bigtime college football to Orlando. The Atlantic Coast Conference has been a tremendous partner of ours for decades and we are grateful for the opportunity to bring their showcase football event to Camping World Stadium. We’re also grateful for our partners in the community who helped make this happen, especially the Florida High School Athletic Association for their flexibility and teamwork to make the stadium available for this game.

The conference’s ties to Orlando and Camping World Stadium date back to the 1978 Citrus Bowl (then the Tangerine Bowl) when NC State defeated Pittsburgh 30-17. From 1987-1991 the ACC Champion was matched up against an at-large opponent in this game before the Big Ten and SEC took over as conference tie-ins in 1992. The ACC is 4-4 all-time in the bowl.

With the formation of the College Football Playoff two season ago, the ACC regained a tie-in to the game. In years where a Big Ten team is assigned to play in a non-semifinal Orange Bowl (as it is this season), the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl will host the top non-CFP selection from the ACC against the top non-CFP selection from the SEC.