Over the years, Orlando has developed a tradition of being one of the leading destinations for sporting events.
From World Cup games to WrestleMania, college football bowl games to the NFL's Pro Bowl, Camping World Stadium – or Citrus Bowl as it was affectionately known – was the place to witness some of the best in sports .
But as college leaders debate the future of their College Football Playoff system, Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan believes Orlando would be well-suited to join those discussions.
“Do we want to have the opportunity to take part in everything the system has to offer in the future? Absolutely, yes,” Hogan told the Orlando Sentinel. “When the opportunity arises, we will make a lot of noise and be as competitive as anyone else in creating opportunities for Orlando to compete in the playoffs.”
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FCS helps bring some top events to Central Florida and the 60,000-seat venue, including the Florida Classic and the Cheez-It and Pop-Tarts Bowl games.
The current playoff field will expand from four to twelve teams over the next two seasons, with the five highest-ranked conference champions receiving their spots and the following seven highest-ranked teams as determined by the CFP Selection Committee.
The top four ranked conference champions are seeded one through four and receive a bye in the first round. The remaining eight teams are seeded 5-12 and play each other on the home field of the higher-ranked teams.
The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in the traditional New Year's Six bowl games: Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose and Sugar. The national championship games will be played at locations to be determined.
But as conference commissioners continue to discuss the future cycle, which will begin with a new television deal in 2026, there are already discussions about further expanding the playoff field.
The latest proposal reportedly floating around would be to expand the playoffs to 14 teams.
As the field expands, bowl games outside of NY6 could take on a more prominent role, potentially hosting the first round, quarterfinals or semifinals.
“It will be up to the College Football Playoff and the playoff manager to determine if there is an opportunity to participate,” Hogan said. “If they do that, Orlando will be convincing and aggressive.
“If they decide that the opening round games are in some way shape or form better suited to some neutral site opportunities, we want to be ready for that as well.”
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Even if the playoff management committee decides not to include additional bowl venues in its expansion plans, Hogan believes the bowl games in Orlando will remain two of the most important postseason games.
Both were among the most-watched bowls on ESPN platforms outside of the New Year's Six games. The Citrus Bowl led the way with an average of 6.8 million viewers, while the Pop-Tarts Bowl came in third with 4.3 million.
“If nothing changes, I still think we have a huge deal for this community,” Hogan said. “Having four teams in the top 20 [rankings] When we meet here in Orlando, the TV audience will be high rated and there will be tens of thousands of fans in the stadium.”
The Citrus Bowl traditionally involves the top-ranked teams from the Big Ten and SEC that are not involved in the New Year's Six bowls. The Pop-Tarts Bowl features the best available teams from the Big 12 and ACC, including Notre Dame.
This year's Citrus Bowl pitted No. 21 Tennessee against No. 17 Iowa, while the Pop-Tarts Bowl pitted No. 25 Kansas State against No. 18 NC State.
Hogan doesn't believe expanding the playoffs will impact the quality of teams playing in the Orlando Bowls.
“I don’t think it has any negative impact,” he said. “These are extremely successful teams and it’s good to be in the right place and be able to select these potential teams.”
Email Matt Murschel at [email protected] or follow him on X at @osmattmurschel.
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