The University of Kentucky Wildcats (7-5) and the Clemson Tigers (8-4) are going head-to-head this Friday at noon in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium.

The Gator Bowl is extending its sponsorship with TaxSlayer through 2027, making it the longest title sponsor in bowl history.

As the football teams for Notre Dame and South Carolina battle it out on the field at TIAA Bank Field, fans are bringing with them a big economic impact to Jacksonville.

News4JAX Insiders can win a pair of tickets and pregame field passes to the 2022 Taxslayer Gator Bowl

News4JAX Insiders can win a pair of tickets and pregame field passes to the 2022 Taxslayer Gator Bowl

News4JAX Insiders can win a pair of tickets and pregame field passes to the 2022 Taxslayer Gator Bowl

Be a News4JAX Insider and win a 4-pack of tickets to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

Be a News4JAX Insider and win a 4-pack of tickets to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

Representatives from both Texas A&M and Wake Forest were in town Thursday to accept the official invitation to play in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl on News Year’s Eve morning. But the real hit of the Gators Bowl’s annual Holiday Party came from two groups of kids.

The TaxSlayer Gator Bowl will be played on the morning of New Year’s Eve, the bowl game and ESPN announced the time on Thursday.

The TaxSlayer Gator Bowl has also instituted mobile ticketing, cashless concessions and enhanced cleaning protocols to keep fans safe. RELATED: Countdown is on as new-look TaxSlayer Gator Bowl approachesStadium security & parkingFans attending the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl should download their mobile ticket to their Apple Wallet or Google Wallet to ensure expedited entry at the gates. The NFL clear bag policy will be in place for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Play & WinTaxSlayer Gator Bowl Play and Win is a new way to enjoy the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl experience from the stands or at home. EventsTaxSlayer Gator Bowl New Year’s Eve RunKick off the game week with the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl New Year’s Eve Run to benefit Gator Bowl Charities.

Penn State head coach James Franklin and athletic trainer Tim Bream check on an injured quarterback Christian Hackenberg prior to his leaving the game in the first half of the TaxSlayer Bowl. (AP photo Mark Wallheiser)

Players and cheerleaders from Kentucky and Georgia Tech visited Wolfson Children's Hospital Friday afternoon. If you need help with WJXT’s or WCWJ's FCC public inspection file, call (904) 393-9801.

News4Jax will provide live streams of the TaxSlayer Bowl events you won't see on ESPN:11:30 a.m. - High school band performancesHalftime - Bulldogs and Cardinals bands perform3:30 p.m. - Team post-game news conferences

Kentucky fans lined the gates, waiting for their team to make it to the stadium ahead of the 11 a.m. kickoff. In a parking lot covered with blue and white, Kentucky fans and only a few sightings of Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket fans, the time and temperature had mixed reviews for some. Bartenders make really good money and the tap room does well.”Bass said sales are up at local restaurant Black Sheep, which provides food at their location. That means finding something to do after the game, which means spending more money in town. "You know, I don’t really know exactly what we’re going to do.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – While we won't know which teams will play for another three weeks, tickets to the 72nd annual TaxSlayer Bowl went on sale to the public Wednesday. TaxSlayer Bowl selection processIn each year of the current six-year agreement, one team will come from the Southeastern Conference and the other either from the Atlantic Coast Conference or Notre Dame. Once the teams for the New Year’s six bowls and the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl are selected, the SEC has created a Tier 1 Bowl pool that is made up of the TaxSlayer Bowl, the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, the Outback Bowl, the Belk Bowl and the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl. The ACC has created a Tier 1 pool that includes the TaxSlayer Bowl, the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, the Belk Bowl, the New Era Pinstripe Bowl and the Hyundai Sun Bowl. Final team selection for the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl will take place on Sunday, Dec. 4.

The TaxSlayer Bowl staged a full afternoon of music and spirit on Friday. News4Jax provided a live stream of the events and archived the video here:High school bands visiting for the TaxSlayer Bowl: Fort Osage's Red and White Brigatde from Independence, Missouri; the Holmen Marching Vikings from Holman, Wisconsin; the Clifton Mustang Marching Band from Clifton, New Jersey; the Woodlands Hills High School Wolverines Band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and the Woldstrides Dancers. Three more high school bands: the Downingtown West High School Whippets from Downingtown, Pennsylvania; the Unionville High School Marching Indians from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania; and the Woodrow Wilson High School Presidents from Portsmouth, Virginia.

Both teams are in town days in advance of Saturday's matchup in the TaxSlayer Bowl, it will be only the second all-time meeting of the two teams. With temperatures in the 70s as the Bulldogs opened their first open practice Monday morning, the mood was light. “It’s all about getting that focus back and working hard and getting back into it.”After the morning practice, the TaxSlayer Bowl treated the Bulldogs to a fishing outing in St. Augustine. On Tuesday after both teams practice, they will be treated to receptions at the host hotels. The TaxSlayer Bowl has more activities planned each day, including a visit to Mayport Naval Station on Wednesday, golf outings a visit to Wolfson Childen's Hospital on Thursday and pep rallies on Friday.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tennessee, the SEC team in this year's TaxSlayer Bowl, is just happy to be playing anywhere in January. TaxSlayer Bowl coaches: Vols' Butch Jones, Hawkeyes' Ken FerentzWhile the January 2 matchup in will be Ferentz's 12th bowl game in 16 years, the Volunteers will be playing in their first preseason game since 2010. Both coaches said they called emergency team meetings Sunday night to tell the players they would be playing in a January bowl game in Florida. Coaches, game officials and Mayor Brown with TaxSlayer Bowl trophyThis the Volunteer's sixth visit to the Gator Bowl; last in 1994 with a win over Virginia Tech in a game played at Florida Field as Jacksonville's stadium was being overhauled into an NFL stadium. In addition to meeting TaxSlayer Bowl officials and sponsors Thursday, the two coaches were presented keys to the city by Mayor Alvin Brown.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Georgia and Nebraska will face each other in the postseason for the second straight year -- this time on New Years Day in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl. The Bulldogs and Cornhuskers were paired in the Gator Bowl on Sunday, a rematch of last year's Capital One Bowl. Georgia has a 2-0-1 overall record in the Gator Bowl. Nebraska, the Big Ten Conference representative, will make its second appearance in the Gator Bowl Classic, where they hold a 1-0 record after defeating Clemson in the 2009 Gator Bowl. Gator Bowl app spash page