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ACC moves championship game to Orlando’s Camping World Stadium

By Tim Kaiser

Jul 20, 2015; Pinehurst, NC, USA; ACC commissioner John Swofford speaks with the media during the ACC football kickoff at Pinehurst Resort. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 20, 2015; Pinehurst, NC, USA; ACC commissioner John Swofford speaks with the media during the ACC football kickoff at Pinehurst Resort. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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The ACC has moved their football championship game to Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

The ACC Football Championship Game has a home once more.

After pulling the game from Charlotte because of the controversial North Carolina House Bill 2, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced today that the championship will be played in Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The game will be played on December 3rd in primetime, as previously scheduled.

Fans who purchased tickets for Bank of America Stadium will get the first crack at tickets starting October 5th. The ACC already announced that these fans would get a full refund, including fees and taxes, for their Charlotte tickets. The general public can begin buying their own seats on Oct. 10.

The Camping World Stadium, perhaps better known as the Citrus Bowl, has already hosted one major game for the ACC this year when Florida State took on Ole Miss to open the season. It has also been the site of ACC-linked bowl games such as the Citrus Bowl and Russell Athletic Bowl.

Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; A general view of Camping World Stadium during the second half between the Mississippi Rebels and Florida State Seminoles at Camping World Stadium. Florida State Seminoles defeated the Mississippi Rebels 45-34. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; A general view of Camping World Stadium during the second half between the Mississippi Rebels and Florida State Seminoles at Camping World Stadium. Florida State Seminoles defeated the Mississippi Rebels 45-34. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

With a capacity of 70,000, there could be at least a theoretical problem of ticket scarcity. Bank of America Stadium holds more than 75,000 people. Last year’s matchup between Clemson and North Carolina set an attendance record for the ACC Championship Game by selling it out. Admittedly, it was a perfect storm of fanbases and proximity. Of the 11 games played for the ACC title, four have had an attendance of more than 70,000.

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This season, with the sudden change of venue and far from a centralized location within the conference, attendance may be suppressed. Florida hosted the ACC Championship Game from 2005-2009. The last game was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa and only 44,897 people bothered to show up to see No. 10 Georgia Tech beat No. 25 Clemson 39-34. The following year in Charlotte, Tyrod Taylor and Virginia Tech beat Florida State in front of a sellout crowd.

A Miami-Florida State title game would certainly be a best case scenario to fill the Citrus Bowl. But even if Louisville, Clemson, or a school from Tobacco Road has to head south for the winter, there are worse places to spend the first weekend in December.

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