There were moments before Orlando began renovations on the Citrus Bowl that the then-Capital One Bowl could have lost its placement with the SEC and Big Ten in bowl pecking order. The aging stadium was no longer befitting such a big-money game.
Orlando had everything else — the location, hotel rooms, fans — the facility was just behind the times. Orlando would never lose what is now the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, but without the renovations completed last year, the game could have certainly lost some of its prestige.
That completely changed in the second Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl held at the new Orlando Citrus Bowl. The Florida-Michigan game had the makings for a big-time college football game and even in a Michigan blowout win, the game showed the Citrus Bowl is back to the best of the SEC-Big Ten bowl games in Florida.
According to Jim Folsom of Stadium Journey Magazine, the stadium finally befits the game:
The new-look Citrus Bowl makes the stadium worthy of the game now. Instead of fans wondering if the Outback Bowl or Tax Slayer Bowl would have been a better outing, the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl is back to being the best bowl of the non-New Year’s Six Games.
There is no doubt the Citrus Bowl is an entirely different stadium than before the renovations. The seating alone is better as are the in-stadium amenities. It provides a much better fan experience.
While it certainly is not among the elite like the NFL stadiums that host the Outback Bowl and Taxslayer Bowl, it serves its purpose for a good football stadium.
When you compare this review to Stadium Journey’s review of the 2013 Russell Athletic Bowl, you can see just how much the feeling about the stadium has changed.
These are the exact kind of improvements Orlando wanted to see in renovating the Orlando Citrus Bowl. There are certainly some big events possible for the stadium down the road, but the good news is the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl has restored its place in the bowl pecking order.
