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Orange Bowl-ACC deal sets opponent guidelines

 
Published Nov. 16, 2012

MIAMI — The ACC officially agreed to a 12-year deal with ESPN for the rights to televise the Orange Bowl, with the conference champion facing either Notre Dame or a team from the Big Ten or SEC.

The deal, announced Thursday, begins with the 2014 season and runs through 2026. ESPN.com previously reported that the network will play about $55 million per year for the game. ESPN also has 12-year deals for the rights to the Sugar Bowl (Big 12 vs. SEC) and the Rose (Pac-12 vs. Big Ten). Under the new deal, the Orange Bowl will be played either Dec. 31 or Jan. 1.

The ACC champion will face a team from the Big Ten, SEC or Notre Dame during those 12 seasons when the game is not a semifinal in college football's new playoff format. The deal spells out guidelines for setting up the ACC champ's opponent, CBSSports.com reported.

Over the course of the 12-year deal, Big Ten and SEC teams will be in the Orange a minimum of three times each. Notre Dame will have a maximum of two appearances and no minimum.

The highest ranked team among the SEC and Big Ten that isn't in the BCS playoff, Rose Bowl or Sugar Bowl (Champions Bowl) will face the ACC champ in the Orange Bowl. If Notre Dame is ranked higher than that team and not in the playoff, it will face the ACC in the Orange.

ESPN also is working on a 12-year deal for the entire playoff package of 24 semifinals and 12 national title games, along with the other three host bowls, that has been reported to be worth around $500 million per year.

UNC 37, Virginia 13: Bryn Renner threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns, two in the fourth quarter after a goal-line stand preserved the lead, and the Tar Heels (7-4, 4-3 ACC) routed the host Cavaliers (4-7, 2-5). North Carolina had a 20-13 lead when it stopped Kevin Parks for a 2-yard loss on fourth and goal from the 1. UNC then drove 97 yards in 12 plays, Renner capping the march with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Giovani Bernard. Renner's favorite target was freshman Quinshad Davis, who caught an ACC record-tying 16 passes for 178 yards.

Missing Aggie Found: Texas A&M freshman receiver Thomas Johnson, missing since Monday, was found safe in Dallas, the university police department and the player's mother confirmed. Police said Johnson, 18, was last seen leaving his College Station residence around 5 p.m. Monday. His mother, Linda Hanks, had left her home Dallas to aid in the search, but then Johnson turned up in Dallas. No other details were given.

BYU: Defensive back Joe Sampson, 23, and linebacker Zachary Stout, 23, along with Matthew Santos, 20, and Alexander Jackman, 21, face misdemeanor assault charges filed by Provo, Utah prosecutors after a fight at a restaurant Nov. 1. Sampson and Stout were suspended for violating team rules, and both withdrew from school.

Missouri: Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, the team's leading tackler, has been suspended for Saturday's game against Syracuse, according to multiple reports. KOMU-TV in Columbia said the suspension is academic-related.