Neutral site kickoff games are a boon to all involved, and a number of cities are moving to join Atlanta, Dallas and Houston to get in on the action. One of those locales is Orlando, playing match-maker with its newly-renovated Citrus Bowl as a cherry on top.
Florida State and Ole Miss will open the 2016 season in the House of Mouse, and Alabama-Louisville following in 2018.
According to Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, another game is in the works that would interest the entire Sunshine State: a renewing of the on-again/off-again Florida-Miami rivalry.
Bianchi writes a Gators-Canes reunion would open the 2019 season, but the deal “has not yet been signed.”
Florida has been notoriously hesitant to leave Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during the month of September, saying its annual Jacksonville game with Georgia and home-and-home rivalry with Florida State require the Gators to stay home as much as possible to balance its budget. Neutral site games are a nice hedge to that position, as they allow programs to go on the road while taking home a check comparable to a home game. Florida has already agreed to a 2017 game with Michigan at AT&T Stadium in the Dallas area, and playing Miami in Orlando would represent another step in that direction.
The Gators and Hurricanes have played 55 times previously in a series dating back to 1938, but only six times since ending a streak of annual games in 1987. Miami holds a 29-26 lead and has claimed seven of the past eight, including a 21-16 decision in South Beach in 2013.