Champ Sports Bowl

The Seminoles and the Fighting Irish

The Florida State Seminoles will take on the Notre Dame Irish in this year's Champs Sports Bowl (game starts at 5:30 PM ET on ESPN, ESPN 3D or ESPN 3). Many experts are expecting an exciting performance out of both teams. On paper, The Seminoles and The Irish are two evenly matched teams. Both coaches are preparing their teams for an intense game between two proud and historical football programs.

Florida State began the season as the sixth ranked football team in the nation. Coach Jimbo Fisher was on the stage as he took over the program since the departure of legendary head football coach Bobby Bowden. Some insiders felt that The Seminoles would be in the national title hunt this year. Unfortunately, a few loses pushed them down in the rankings throughout the season.

Notre Dame started off the season by losing their first two home games. Head Coach Brian Kelley started to feel the pressure that comes with being the leader of one of nation's most historic football programs. A loss to Michigan sent the team reeling at the start of the year. Remarkably, Notre Dame was able to win eight out of their next nine games. This put them in a position to be eligible for a BCS Bowl Game.

This game features two teams that have been able to overcome adversity during the season. Both teams have lost close games that were determined by one or two plays. This factor makes the game very intriguing.

Both teams have a talented group of wide receivers. It will be interested to see how the defensive backs on both teams deal with the highly explosive receiving corps. Florida State and Notre Dame receivers are notorious for making big plays in clutch situations. The exceptional receivers on both squads can play a big factor on December 29.

EJ Manuel is expected to make the start on kickoff for Florida State. Sophomore Tommy Rees will be the starter for Notre Dame. Rees is also expected to share some of his playing time with Andrew Hendrix. Quarterbacks for both teams are pretty stable at managing the game. The Fighting Irish could have trouble with Manuel if they don't force him to stay in the pocket.

Notre Dame operates on a 3-4 defensive scheme that features four linebackers and three linemen. Florida State uses 4-3 defensive package. It will be interesting to see how both team's running game will be affected by the ingenious defensive packages designed by the defensive coordinators.

Florida State has the edge in special teams. Coach Fisher is relying heavily upon his team's kicking game and defense to be the factor in the game. Coach Kelly will be relying upon a balanced attack on both sides of the ball.

This year's match up between The Seminoles and The Fighting Irish will probably turn out to be one of the most competitive bowl games this year. Both teams have been able to overcome their adversities in order to become bowl eligible. It will be interesting to see how both teams will be able to adjust during the game. It is fair to say that the winner will be the squad that can neutralize the opponent's passing game.

Guide To The Champs Sports Bowl

The Champs Sports Bowl is an annual bowl game currently played in Orlando, Florida. Since 2000, the game has been played at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. Prior to that, it was played in Miami.

The Champs Sports Bowl began in 1990. There was a strong push to add a second bowl game in Miami, a prime destination for potential visitors. The bowl game was originally called the Blockbuster Bowl.

The first edition pitted Penn State from the Big 10 and Florida State in a game featuring two legendary coaches. Over 74,000 fans watched that game, but that success was never matched. Since being called the Blockbuster Bowl until 1993, the game has undergone many name changes. It has been called the Carquest Bowl, MicronPC Bowl, MicronPC.com Bowl, Visit Florida Tangerine Bowl, and the Mazda Tangerine Bowl. Since 2004, the game has been known as the Champs Sports Bowl.

The Champs Sports Bowl is organized by Florida Citrus Sports. They are a nonprofit organization who also runs the Capital One Bowl. Florida Citrus Sports uses these games to promote their charitable works. Together with the corporate sponsor, they put together a week that gives the players and tourists a great time while helping to raise money for various charities. A new television deal ensured the game would be played after Christmas to increase the prestige.

The game is a part of Bowl Week on ESPN. Starting in 2010, the game will pit teams from the Big East and Atlantic Coast Conference. Prior to that, the game featured an ACC team against a Big Ten team. The new agreement gives the Champs Sports Bowl the 2nd pick from the Big East and the third pick from the ACC.

For a brief period, the game was played on New Year's Day. In 1993 and 1994 the game was played the same day as the Orange Bowl, which was also played in Miami. Now that the game is played in Orlando, it takes place a few days before the more respected Capital One Bowl, which was formerly called the Citrus Bowl. The Champs Sports Bowl has a payout of just under $2.5 million for each participating team, putting it on the same level as other bowls held before New Year's Day.

The Champs Sports Bowl has gotten a good mix of teams over the years. North Carolina State has appeared four times, while Miami and Virginia have appeared three times each. This bowl game is known for some high scoring outputs. Illinois put up 63 points in the 1999 game. For three straight years between 2002 and 2004, the winning team scored more than 50 points. In 2005, Clemson became the only team to win the game with fewer than 20 points.

The Champs Sports Bowl awards an MVP award to the game's outstanding player. Among the winners are Philip Rivers, who won the award twice, and Antonio Bryant.

The Champs Sports Bowl preview & college football betting lines along with the Champ Sports Bowl odds are published once the two college football teams are selected to the bowl game.

During bowl season we have all types of football betting lines, not only college football odds but NFL odds as well. There are many wagers to place a wager on any matchup in the sportsbook. Top wide receiver, top running back and top quarterback are all different bets you can on which player is going to have the overall best performance in their position. Our goal is to provide you with most online betting options possible, so you can relax and enjoy your football.