2016 Citrus Bowl

The 2016 Citrus Bowl was an American college football bowl game played on January 1, 2016 at the Orlando Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The 70th edition was one of the 2015–16 NCAA football bowl games that concluded the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The game was televised by ABC. It was sponsored by the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant franchise and is officially known as the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.

Teams

The game featured the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference, and the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference in their third meeting against each other, with all three matchups coming in January bowl games in Florida.

Michigan Wolverines

After finishing their regular season with a 9–3 record, the Wolverines were selected to their fifth Citrus Bowl appearance. This was their 44th bowl game appearance, tied for 11th-highest total all-time among FBS schools. Michigan won the previous meeting against the Florida Gators in the 2008 Capital One Bowl, by a score of 41–35.

Citrus Bowl (game)

The Citrus Bowl, also known as the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl for sponsorship purposes, is an annual college football bowl game played at the Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Florida. It was previously known as the Tangerine Bowl (1947–1982), the Florida Citrus Bowl (1983–2002), and the Capital One Bowl (2003–2014). The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group that also organizes the Russell Athletic Bowl and Florida Classic.

Since becoming one of the premier bowls, the Citrus Bowl is typically played at 1 p.m. EST on January 1, New Year's Day, immediately before the Rose Bowl, both of which have been televised on ESPN since 2011. (In years when New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2 to avoid conflicting with the National Football League schedule.) In 2004, the Capital One Bowl bid to become the fifth BCS game, but was not chosen, primarily due to the stadium's aging condition. On July 26, 2007, the Orange County Commissioners voted 5–2 in favor of spending $1.1 billion to build a new arena for the Orlando Magic, a performing arts center, and to upgrade the Citrus Bowl.