Russell Athletic Bowl kicks off at Citrus Bowl

ORLANDO, Fla. – The parking lots around the Citrus Bowl began filling up Tuesday afternoon ahead of the 5:50 p.m. kick-off of the Russell Athletic Bowl, where the University of North Carolina Tar Heels faced off against the Baylor Bears.

A group of Tar Heel fans calling themselves the "Blue Heaven Tailgaters" were one of the first groups to arrive with their RV's from North Carolina.

"We travel. We went to the championship game in Charlotte when the Heels played and we have a great big grill at home and we just love to travel together and have a great time and it's go Heels," said Barbara Willis.

The group said it tailgates at every UNC home game and at least one big away game each season.

Robbie Willis said that he has not missed an at home game in 30 years, and is now spreading the tradition to his children.

"They are very passionate. We've been looking for respect in football and we are back to where, it's taken almost 20 years to get back to being known for more than just basketball," said Willis.

Officials with the Citrus Bowl said they were expecting more than 40,000 fans to attend.

Once the game is over, hundreds of crew members will immediately begin taking down the logos and scrubbing off the paint on the field to prepare for the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day, when more than 60,000 fans are expected to attend.