Orange Bowl
Capital One Orange Bowl
Stadium	Hard Rock Stadium
Location	Miami Gardens, Florida (December 1996–1998, 2000–present)[a]
Previous stadiums	Miami Field (1935–1937) Miami Orange Bowl (1938–January 1996, 1999)
Previous locations	Miami, Florida (1935–January 1996, 1999)
Operated	1935–present
Championship affiliation	CFP (2014–present) BCS (1998–2013) Bowl Alliance (1995–1997) Bowl Coalition (1992–1994)
Conference tie-ins	ACC (1999–present) SEC/Big Ten/Notre Dame (December 2014–present)
Previous conference tie-ins	Big Eight (1954–1996) Big East (1999–2006)
Payout	US$35 million/conference(As of 2009[update])
Website	orangebowl.org
Sponsors
Federal Express/FedEx (1989–2010) Discover Financial (2011–January 2014) Capital One (December 2014–present)
Former names
Orange Bowl (1935–1988) Federal Express/FedEx Orange Bowl (1989–2010) Discover Orange Bowl (2011–January 2014)
2023 matchup
Florida State vs.Georgia (Georgia 63–3)
2024 season matchup
Notre Dame vs.Penn State (Notre Dame 27–24)

TheOrange Bowl is an annual Americancollege footballbowl game played in theMiami metropolitan area. Played annually sinceJanuary 1, 1935, it is tied with theSugar Bowl and theSun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed only by theRose Bowl Game.

The Orange Bowl was originally held in the city ofMiami atMiami Field before moving to theMiami Orange Bowl stadium in 1938. In 1996, it moved to its current location atHard Rock Stadium inMiami Gardens. Since December 2014, the game has been sponsored byCapital One and officially known as theCapital One Orange Bowl. Previous sponsors includeDiscover Financial (2011–January 2014) andFederal Express/FedEx (1989–2010).

In its early years, the Orange Bowl had no defined conference tie-ins; it often pitted a team from the southeastern part of the country against a team from the central or northeastern states. From the 1950s until the mid-1990s, the Orange Bowl had a strong relationship with theBig Eight Conference. The champion (or runner-up in years in which the "no-repeat" rule was invoked) was invited to the bowl game in most years during this time; the1979 Orange Bowl even had two representatives from the Big Eight. Opponents of the Big Eight varied; but were often major independents, runners-up in theSoutheastern Conference (SEC), or champions of theAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Between 2007 and 2023, the Orange Bowl has hosted the ACC champion—unless they are involved in the national championship or playoff, in which case another high-ranking ACC team takes their place.^[1]

Beginning in1992, the Orange Bowl joined with several other bowls to create theBowl Coalition in an effort to produce anundisputed national champion in college football. It subsequently was part of theBowl Alliance andBowl Championship Series. From 1992 to 2006, the Orange Bowl served as the national championship game of these systems in1994,1995,1998,2001, and2005. Miami Gardens and the Orange Bowl Committee hosted theBCS National Championship Game in2009 and2013 in addition to the regular Orange Bowl game.

In2014, the Orange Bowl, along with the "New Year's Six" bowls, became a part of theCollege Football Playoff. As part of the four team playoff from 2014 to2023, the Orange Bowl served as a semifinal game in2015,2018, and2021. When not serving as a semifinal, the Orange Bowl featured the best available team from the ACC versus the second best team from theBig Ten or SEC orNotre Dame.

With the expansion of the College Football Playoff to twelve teams in the2024–25 season, the Orange Bowl will serve as either a quarterfinal or semifinal each year. It served as a semifinal in2025 and will serve as a quarterfinal in 2026. When serving as a quarterfinal, the Orange Bowl will host the ACC champion, if seeded in the top four. When serving as a semifinal, the game will be played one week after New Year's Day and, if the ACC champion is one of the top two seeds, the team will be assigned to the Orange Bowl.^[2]

In 1890,Pasadena, California, held its firstTournament of Roses Parade to showcase the city's mild weather compared to the harsh winters in northern cities. As one of the organizers said: "In New York, people are buried in snow. Here, our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise." In 1902, the annual festival was enhanced by adding an American football game.^[3]

In 1926, leaders in Miami, Florida, decided to do the same with a "Fiesta of the American Tropics" that was centered around a New Year's Day football game. Although a second "Fiesta" was never held, Miami leaders, including Earnest E. Seiler, later revived the idea with the "Palm Festival" (with the slogan "Have a Green Christmas in Miami").^[4]

In 1932, George E. Hussey, official greeter of Miami, organized the firstFestival of Palms Bowl, a predecessor of the Orange Bowl. With Miami suffering from both the Great Depression and the preceding Florida land bust, Hussey and other Miamians sought to help its economy by organizing a game similar to Pasadena'sRose Bowl.

Two games were played in this series atMoore Park in Miami, both pitting an invited opponent against a local team, theUniversity of Miami. In the first game, played on January 2, 1933, Miami defeatedManhattan College 7–0. In the second game, played on New Year's Day 1934,Duquesne defeated Miami 33–7. Duquesne was coached byElmer Layden, one of theFour Horsemen of Notre Dame.

These games are not recognized as bowl games by theNCAA because one team was guaranteed a berth regardless of record. However, following the success of these games, backers organized another game for New Year's Day 1935 under the Orange Bowl name. This game, unlike the Palm Festival Games, did not automatically grant a berth to one team, although the University of Miami was again a participant. For this reason, the 1935 Orange Bowl was later recognized by the NCAA as an official bowl game.^[5]

The Orange Bowl was played atMiami Field^[6] (located where Miami Orange Bowl was later built) from 1935 to 1937, theMiami Orange Bowl from 1938 to 1996, and again in 1999, and was moved to its current site,Hard Rock Stadium inMiami Gardens, Florida, in December 1996. The game was played back at the namesake stadium in 1999 (which would be the final bowl game ever in the Miami Orange Bowl) because the game was played on the same day theMiami Dolphins hosted an NFL Wild Card Playoff game. Coincidentally, both of those games were aired onABC.

On January 1, 1965, the Texas vs. Alabama Orange Bowl was the first college bowl game to be televised live inprime time.^[7]

From 1954 onwards, the game usually featured the champion of the formerBig Eight Conference. When the Big Eight Conference merged with four members of the defunctSouthwest Conference in 1996, the newly formedBig 12 Conference moved its conference champion tie-in to theFiesta Bowl. From 1998 to 2013, however, with the creation of theBowl Championship Series system, team selection for the Orange Bowl was tied into the other three BCS Bowls and (from 2006 to 2013) theBCS National Championship Game.

From 1998 to 2005, the game hosted the champion of either theACC orBig East conferences, unless they were invited to the National Championship game, or if the Orange Bowl itself was hosting the national championship matchup.

Starting with the 2006 season, the Orange Bowl has been exclusively tied with the ACC and has used the brandHome of the ACC Champion. As one of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl games, the site of the Orange Bowl also hosted thenational championship game one week after the Orange Bowl game; it did so on a four-year rotating basis with the other three BCS games (the others being theSugar,Fiesta, andRose Bowls). The tie-in with the ACC continued with the inception of the College Football Playoff after the 2014 season. However, following the expansion to a 12-team playoff format, the Orange Bowl's official relationship with the ACC ended as all New Year's Six bowls became permanent playoff fixtures.

From 1936 to 2001 (except for the World War II years), the Orange Bowl Committee also sponsored a parade. The very first King Orange Jamboree Parade was held the day before the1936 game with 30 floats at an expense of $40,000 ($906,379 in2024).^[8][9] An Orange Bowl Queen and court of Princesses was selected from young women who were residents of Florida. A coronation ball was held the beginning of the month of December before the game, and the queen and princesses would ride on a float during the parade on New Years Day and preside over the half-time show at the game. Babs Beckwith was chosen as the first Orange Bowl queen.^[9][10] Past Orange Bowl Queens includeVictoria Principal andJackie Nespral.^[11]In its heyday, the parade was a nighttime New Year's Eve tradition, televised nationally with lighted floats and displays going down part ofBiscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami to crowds as high as 500,000 people in the 1970s. However ratings dropped and the national television contract was lost in 1997, causing the parade to quickly become a shell of its former self since there were no sponsors for the elaborate floats. Attendance dwindled as well; by the turn of the millennium, the parade was lucky to draw 20,000 people. As a result, the committee chose to bring this tradition to an end in early 2002.^[12]

TheAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is locked into a 12-year deal (2014–2025) with the Orange Bowl, so if the ACC champion qualifies for the playoffs in a year when the Orange Bowl is not a semifinal host, the next-highest ranked ACC team will play in the Orange Bowl. For the secondary tie-ins, theSoutheastern Conference (SEC) and theBig Ten Conference are guaranteed three appearances each, and theUniversity of Notre Dame can play in a maximum of two games, but is not guaranteed any appearances. The ACC team's opponent in a given year will be the highest-ranked available team from the SEC, Big Ten, and Notre Dame, subject to several constraints: the SEC and Big Ten champions are always excluded, and when an SEC and/or Big Ten team qualifies for the College Football Playoff, the next available team would also be excluded from participating in the Orange Bowl due to contractual obligations with the Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl, respectively. Also, should a highest-ranked team create a rematch with the ACC team, the Orange Bowl has the option of passing over that team for the next-highest ranked team among the Big Ten, SEC, and Notre Dame, again subject to the noted constraints. Rankings are based on the College Football Playoff committee's rankings.ESPN holds the television rights for 12 years as well.^[13]

All rankings are taken from theAP poll (inaugurated in1936), before each game was played.

Source:^[14]

^BC DenotesBowl Coalition Championship Game

^BA DenotesBowl Alliance Championship Game

^BCS DenotesBCS National Championship Game

^QF DenotesCollege Football Playoff quarterfinal game

^SF Denotes College Football Playoff semifinal game

‡ Denotes a historical name for what is nowHard Rock Stadium

† Due to anNFL scheduling conflict, the 1999 game was played at theMiami Orange Bowl

†† USCvacated their 2005 victory due to NCAA sanctions

The bowl first named an MVP in 1965. From 1970 through 1998, two MVPs were named for each game. Since 1999, only a single MVP is named, except when the game is part of theCollege Football Playoff, in which case both an offensive and defensive MVP are named.^{[15]: 20–22}

Updated through the January 2025 edition (91 games, 182 total appearances).

Teams with multiple appearances

‡ USC's win–loss record andwinning percentage exclude theirvacated 2005 win.

Teams with a single appearance

Won (11):Bucknell,Catholic,Duquesne,Louisville,Rice,Santa Clara,Stanford,Tulsa,Washington,West Virginia,Wisconsin
Lost (14):Baylor,Boston College,Cincinnati,Georgetown,Holy Cross,Kentucky,Michigan State,Navy,North Carolina,Northern Illinois,Ole Miss,TCU,Virginia,Wake Forest

Updated through the January 2025 edition (91 games, 182 total appearances).

‡ The Pac-12's win–loss record andwinning percentage exclude USC'svacated 2005 win.

• Conferences that are defunct or not currently active in FBS appear initalics.
• Big Eight records include results when the conference was known as the Big Six and Big Seven.
• Pac-12 records include results when the conference was known as the Pacific-10.
• Multiple teams have played in the bowl as members of different conferences at different times:

Source:^{[15]: 55–64}

The game was previously officially known as theDiscover Orange Bowl, sinceDiscover Financial was announced as title sponsor on August 26, 2010, as part of a new four-year agreement.^[17] The game had been called theFedEx Orange Bowl from 1989 to 2010, asFedEx sponsored the event during that period. Starting with the 2010–11 season,ESPN carried the Orange Bowl, replacing Fox after four seasons.^[18] ABC aired the game from 1999 to 2006, with CBS (1995–1998) and NBC (1964–1994) previously carrying the game.

Discover stated that they would not renew their sponsorship of the game further on June 9, 2014; the game will be a part of theCollege Football Playoff in the future, and CFP rightsholderESPN has asked for higher sponsorship fees, in return.^[19] On September 22, 2014, Capital One was announced as the new title sponsor of the Orange Bowl, transferring their bowl game sponsorship from theCitrus Bowl.^[20][21] Subsequently, the company's "Capital One Mascot Challenge" winner naming ceremony also moved to the Orange Bowl. The Orange Bowl Committee includes Corporate Members such as iHeart Media, Ernst & Young, Cinch Home Services, Bank of America, Amazon, American Airlines, AT&T, and Uber Technologies.^[22][23]

ESPN is the current rightsholder of the Orange Bowl, a relationship that began in 2011 as part of the contract to broadcast the Bowl Championship Series games. In anticipation of the transition to the College Football Playoff in the 2014–15 season, ESPN reached a new deal with the game's organizers in November 2012 to extend its rights through 2026, paying $55 million yearly.^[24] The game is also broadcast nationally byESPN Radio.

Prior to that,Fox held the rights to the event (along with the other BCS bowls) since 2007, preceded byABC (1999–2006 and 1962–64),CBS (1996–98 and 1953–61), andNBC (1965–95). This game, along with the Fiesta Bowl, is one of only two bowl games ever to air on all the "big 4" U.S. television networks.ESPN Deportes added aSpanish language telecast of the game in 2013.^[25]

• List of college bowl games

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