FALLS CHURCH, Va., Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital One, one of the nation's largest credit card issuers, today announced it will be the new title co- sponsor of the Florida Citrus Bowl. This annual New Year's Day bowl game features teams from the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten Conference. On January 1, 2001, University of Michigan and Auburn University will take the field at the Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl. The game will air on ABC-TV at 1:00 PM (EST).

"We are thrilled to be a part of this, the 55th Florida Citrus Bowl game on January 1st and the great traditions of the game and its history. It's been an incredible year of growth and success for the Capital One brand," said William McDonald, Vice President of Brand Marketing at Capital One. "And we can't think of a better way to ring in the new year than to watch these two exciting teams compete in the great city of Orlando and celebrate our success with friends, family and our 30 million customers."

Team officials from Big Ten Co-Champions University of Michigan (8-3) and SEC West Division Champions Auburn University (9-3) today signed contracts for game day. The January 1, 2001 game will be the second time these two regional powers will match up in a bowl game. The Auburn Tigers defeated the Michigan Wolverines (9-7) in their first meeting in the 1984 Sugar Bowl.

Tickets for the 55th Annual Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl are $60 and can be purchased by visiting or calling any Florida Ticketmaster outlet or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets can also be purchased by logging onto the Florida Citrus Sports website at www.fcsports.com. Reserved sideline seats can be purchased as part of a Florida Citrus Sports membership package by calling FCS at 407-423-3476.

Headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, Capital One Financial Corporation (www.CapitalOne.com) is a holding company whose principal subsidiaries, Capital One Bank and Capital One, F.S.B., offer consumer lending products. Capital One's subsidiaries collectively had 29.4 million customers and $24.2 billion in managed loans outstanding as of September 30, 2000. Capital One is one of the major financial service providers on the Internet, with online account decisioning, real-time account numbering, online retail deposits and a growing number of customers serviced online. Capital One is a FORTUNE 500 company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Other Capital One partners include BMG Entertainment, Kmart/BlueLight.com, World Championship Wrestling, Mercedes Benz and iWon.com. SOURCE Capital One Financial Corporation

CONTACT: Dana Cilluffo of Capital One, 703-205-1069; or Doug Gerber of FC Sports, 407-423-2476, ext. 117/