TicketsDec. 7, 2008
FedEx Orange Bowl Central | FedEx Orange Bowl Tickets | BIG EAST Championship Gear
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati football team, winners of the 2008 BIG EAST Championship, accepted a bid to the 75th FedEx Orange Bowl Sunday, setting up a matchup with Virginia Tech, the Atlantic Coast Conference Champion, on Jan. 1 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami.
The Bearcats (11-2) will make their first-ever trip to a Bowl Championship Series game and will play on Jan. 1 for the first time since the Sun Bowl on Jan. 1, 1951. The game is scheduled to be televised nationally on FOX.
"It's an honor to be invited to the FedEx Orange Bowl," head coach Brian Kelly said. "We've prepared for this moment since we arrived on campus two years ago. It's a big day for our program. That said, we're still going down to Miami prepared to win a football game."
Cincinnati won its first outright conference championship since 1964, finishing 6-1 in league play. The Bearcats set a school record with their 11 wins and have achieved back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in school history.
UC is 2-1 in games after Jan. 1, most recently winning the 2007 International Bowl, 27-24 over Western Michigan, in head coach Brian Kelly's first game leading the UC program.
The Bearcats are 6-4 all-time in bowl games, and winners of their past three postseason contests.
UC and the Hokies (9-4) have met eight times on the gridiron, dating back to 1947, with the series tied at four games apiece. Virginia Tech won the last meeting, 29-13, on Sept. 23, 2006 in Blacksburg, Va.
The two teams met in UC's first bowl game, the 1947 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. Harold Johnson, Don McMillan and Hugo Sabato all scored touchdowns to help lead UC to an 18-6 win over Virginia Tech, which was known as the Gobblers in 1947. UC's offense outgained Virginia Tech's by a 369-34 margin.
Tickets for the FedEx Orange Bowl will be priced at $125 apiece and go on sale at 8 a.m. Monday morning in the UC Athletics Ticket Office. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-877-CATS-TIX or visiting CATSTIX.com.
Information regarding official travel packages, both ground and charter air, will be made available on the Bowl Central page of GoBEARCATS.com once they are finalized.
Fans that have purchased a $50 bowl ticket credit will be able to deduct that dollar amount off of the final cost of the ticket price. For example, if you have purchased one (1) $50 bowl ticket credit, the final cost of your FedEx Orange Bowl ticket will be an additional $75.
Bearcats fans are encouraged to purchase all tickets through the UC Athletics Ticket Office. This will insure that the tickets are in the official Cincinnati fan section of Dolphin Stadium. UC Athletics is only able to guarantee the authenticity of tickets purchased directly from UC.