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Buffalo Wild Wings is expected to upgrade its bowl naming rights, scoring the sponsorship of the former Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla., according to ESPN.

Potentially matching teams from the Big Ten and Southeastern conferences on New Year's Day, the Orlando game would be a step up from Wild Wings' previous affiliation with a game in Tempe, Ariz.

The bowl game in Orlando would be called the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, ESPN reported.

One of the longer-running college bowls, the game has taken place each season since 1947. It was long known as the Tangerine Bowl, and later the Florida Citrus Bowl.

It has been called the Capital One Bowl since 2003, but Capital One changed gears this year and switched its sponsorship to the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla.

In last season's Capital One Bowl, South Carolina beat Wisconsin 34-24. Other participants in recent years have included Nebraska, Penn State and Alabama.

Buffalo Wild Wings sponsored the bowl in Arizona the past two seasons but chose not to renew that arrangement. That bowl will be called the Cactus Bowl this season.

The company issued a one-sentence statement Tuesday: "We are constantly evaluating opportunities that will further enhance experiences for our guests in restaurants and beyond."

The Capital One Bowl posted no information on its website about who its next sponsor will be.

Buffalo Wild Wings, founded in 1982 and based in Golden Valley, is an owner, operator and franchiser of more than 1,000 sports-themed restaurants in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Tom Meersman • 612-673-7388