http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomvanriper/2012/12/20/whatever-happened-to-the-orange-bowl/ "I want the Orange Bowl back. Remember when it was always the best college football game of the year? Played in primetime on New Year’s night, it was the culmination of college football’s signature, most festive day. It always seemed to decide the national championship. And even when it didn’t, it always matched big brand, top ten-type teams. Nebraska, Oklahoma, Miami in their heydays…super intense and everything on the line. The perfect ending to the season. Now, the Orange Bowl is gone, finished, kaput. And with it, anything that could be called a big day for college football..." Thought he made some good points in the full article. I'm sill unclear why the Orange Bowl stopped getting top teams though? He mentioned a deal tying it to the ACC. Why would the organizers do that?
I didn't read the article (I'm lazy) but every BCS bowl has what's automatic qualifier from a conference. The Sugar Bowl is the SEC, Orange Bowl is ACC, rose Bowl is Pac 12 and Fiesta Bowl is Big 12 (I think). Then the other team is an at large bid which essentially the bowl committee gets to pick. Those teams usually are almost always kind of meh. Thus you get a lackluster game.
It has been for a while now. I do not remember the exact time, but I do remember my HS friends that went to FSU got to go to their bowl game every year (it seemed) bc FSU was in that bowl. Truthfully, that is the reason the OB has seemed like a down bowl. The ACC as a whole is down and thus, not overly intriguing for bowl matchups. IF FSU and UM keep progressing like they did this year, that conference may come back into being a strong conference. We can only hope anyway...