Orange Bowl, ACC Extend Partnership 12 Years

A byproduct of conference realignment and postseason restructuring is conferences securing and/or reaffirming spots for the bowl season. The ACC is the latest, re-upping its affiliation with the Orange Bowl for another 12 years per the conference’s official athletic site, TheACC.com. The ACC/Orange Bowl marriage joins the recently announced and still vaguely described Champions Bowl the Big 12 and SEC entered into this spring, and the Big Ten/Pac-12’s century-plus long commitment to the Rose Bowl.

The Orange Bowl will host the ACC champion, in seasons which the conference title holder is not bound for the new, four-team playoff.

Among the changes this entails is a move from post-New Year’s dates in recent years (2009 being the lone exception in the last eight seasons), to a Jan. 1 date. A facet of the postseason’s changes is reemphasizing New Year’s Day as the day for college football; returning one of the more historically rich bowls to

The Orange Bowl will also move from a nighttime kickoff, to 1 p.m. ET.

Counterparts of the ACC have teamed up for their guaranteed, high profile bowls, but the ACC would benefit from the Orange Bowl leaving its other bid open. The premiere match-ups in the bowl’s illustrious history have rotated among leagues: Miami (Independent) vs. Nebraska (Big 8 Conference) in 1984; Florida State (ACC) vs. Notre Dame (Independent) in 1996; Colorado (Big 8 Conference) vs. Notre Dame in 1991 are a few examples.

Offering an opportunity for the Big East champion in seasons it meets a certain standard, or pairing ACC teams with 10-win Big Ten or SEC runners-up are intrigue avenues to consider.

But if the ACC is indeed seeking a partner, or the Orange Bowl seeking a partner for the conference, there’s a name consistently mentioned in the bowl’s history worth consideration. Notre Dame factored heavily into the Orange Bowl establishing its superiority. The Irish have had rotating offers from bowls in the BCS era, but the Orange could offer a more stable home, with the caveat UND wins a certain number of games to participate.

Editor’s Note: Updated at 9:52 a.m. PT

Per CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, the ACC retains broadcasting rights. This is huge for both the conference, and the game: