While schools from the Sunshine State won’t be competing for the national football title, Florida will play a big role as college bowl season begins, hosting almost ten games while four teams from the state will play in the post-season.
The biggest game in Florida will be on New Year’s Eve as the undefeated Clemson Tigers play the Oklahoma Sooners in Miami in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 31. The stakes are high as the winner advances to the national title game to take on the winner of Alabama-Michigan St. game in the Cotton Bowl which will also be held on New Year’s Eve.
Bowl season kicks off in Florida on Dec. 19 as San Jose State takes on Georgia State in the AutoNation Cure Bowl in Orlando. Georgia State has won four games in a row to bring their record up to 6-6 but San Jose State is under .500 at 5-7.
Next up is the Miami Beach Bowl. Willie Taggart leads his South Florida ream against Western Kentucky University (WKU) which has posted an 11-2 record. There’s quite of a bit intrigue here as Taggart used to coach at WKU. The game is on Dec. 21.
The Boca Raton Bowl will be on Dec. 22 as Temple meets Toledo. Both teams are highly regarded with Temple at 10-3 and Toledo at 9-2.
Right after Christmas, in the St. Petersburg Bowl, the University of Connecticut Huskies will tangle with Marshall University. These are two of the best defenses in college football and they will clash in St. Petersburg on Dec. 26.
In Orlando on Dec. 29, the Russell Athletic Bowl will feature North Carolina against Baylor. While Baylor faded in recent weeks in the national title hunt and UNC lost to Clemson in the ACC title game this past weekend, both teams are ranked.
Also in Orlando, the Florida Gators, who lost to Alabama in the SEC title game this past weekend, will tangle with the Michigan Wolverines in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day. Right down I-4 on New Year’s Day, in Tampa, Tennessee will take on Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.
Up north, Jacksonville hosts the Taxslayer Bowl as Penn State takes on the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs are in a bit of transition as longtime coach Mark Richt was let go in recent days only to be scooped up by the University of Miami. The Taxslayer Bowl is on Jan. 2.
Besides the Gators and USF, two other teams from Florida will play in the bowls. On Dec. 26, in El Paso, Texas, Miami will take on Washington State at the Hyundai Sun Bowl. On New Year’s Eve, the Florida State Seminoles battle Houston at the Chik-Fil-A Peach Bowl.
Of course, there’s also an economic impact with all the bowl games. Florida TaxWatch released a report last year looking at the impact of Florida’s college bowl games. The Sunshine State hosts more of the 40 bowl games across the nation than any other state, with Texas placing second.
Florida TaxWatch noted in the report that bowl games in the Orlando area added more than $88.5 million to the economy in the 2011-2012 bowl season. The report also showcased how the Orange Bowl, hosting the national title game in the 2012-2013 bowl season, added almost $300 million to South Florida’s economy.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
