Orlando, Fla. ? This is one of Armando Socarras’ favorite times of year, and not just because of the holidays.

“This is fun for us,” said Socarras, a sergeant in the Orlando Police Department’s Special Operations Traffic Division assigned to escort Kansas University’s football team this week. “It’s a break from our routine.”

That routine includes providing police escorts for visiting politicians. No offense to KU coach Mark Mangino, but the officers were a bit more laid back this week compared to their tougher assignments.

“We do a lot of dignitary escorts — presidents, vice presidents and senators who visit,” Soccarras said. “This is a lot different. It’s a lot more relaxed. With presidents, you have security risks. The attitude is totally different. The security precautions are totally different.”

This week, the officers’ objective was to keep on time so they could stay on schedule during preparations for Monday’s Tangerine Bowl. Socarras is one of seven officers assigned to KU, while seven others are escorting North Carolina State. The motorcades totally shut down traffic to keep teams on time.

“We enjoy it,” Socarras said. “We adopt the team, and we root for them.”

The officers were relieved from other duties, meaning they could stop and watch practices when their team arrived for workouts. Socarras’ group escorted the Jayhawks to Universal Studios theme park Saturday afternoon.

“We just wait around for them, and after we take them back to the hotel we’re done for the day,” Socarras said.

KU players gave each of their officers Kansas hats, and N.C. State did the same for its motorcade. The Wolfpack’s escorts are sporting N.C. State flags on the backs of their motorcycles, but the KU flags given to Socarras’ unit snapped in the uncharacteristically cold weather.

North Carolina State hoist their helmets during practice. The Wolfpack practiced Saturday in Orlando, Fla., in preparation for Monday's Tangerine Bowl against Kansas University.

No matter, the officers soon will switch allegiances.

“We drop these guys off at the airport on the 23rd about 2 p.m., then we stick around and pick up Purdue,” said Socarras, whose unit will escort the Boilermakers while they are in town for the Capital One Bowl.

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Senior shenanigans: N.C. State enjoyed its final practice of the season. Senior long snapper Danny Young dressed up as coach Chuck Amato at the beginning of practice, complete with sunglasses, padding to fill out his shirt and a good impression of the coach’s distinctive, squeaky voice. … Seniors also took a turn in “the senior hit,” an N.C. State tradition for the year’s final workout in which each senior gets to pick a coach or administrator to put on the blocking sled and attempts to knock their victim off.

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Day in the park: While KU players headed to Universal Studios after practice, N.C. State visited Islands of Adventure. Players from each team were on their own Saturday night. KU coach Mark Mangino skipped the Universal trip and spent the time watching N.C. State game film.

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Left behind: Amato said two seniors — starting defensive end Alan Halloway and backup defensive tackle Sheldon Lewin — were not allowed to make the trip because of off-the-field problems. Freshman Maurice Charles will start in place of Halloway, which means three of NCSU’s four starters on the defensive line will be freshmen.

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Tackle unsettled: Mangino said he had not decided whether junior defensive tackle Travis Watkins would start. Senior Sid Bachmann has started the majority of KU’s games, but Watkins is expected to play after missing 11 of 12 regular-season games because of a broken foot.

“We’ll see exactly how Travis feels,” Mangino said. “We may start Sid and just rotate him with Travis. Sid has been the workhorse, but Travis will play a lot.”

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Get comfortable: Kansas threw an average of 31 passes a game, while NCSU averaged 37.5. Those passing offenses — combined with TV timeouts and a halftime show — could make for a long evening.

“Their average game time is like three hours,” Amato said. “Boy, are they in for a surprise. We’ll be there for a long time. We may play into the NFL football game because our team hasn’t played a game that wasn’t almost four hours long.”

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Enough already: KU’s players were eager for the main event after Saturday’s workout.

“We’re ready for a game,” sophomore linebacker Gabriel Toomey said. “We watched a lot of film and had a lot of practices. We’re pretty much ready for Monday to come. We’ve had a lot of time to prepare.”

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Up next: Selected players from both teams will visit Give Kids the World Village — a non-profit resort for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families — this morning. The teams also will compete in the Tangerine Squeeze-off. … Monday’s kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Central on ESPN (Sunflower Broadband Channel 48).

KU senior quarterback Bill Whittemore looks downfield for a receiver during practice. The Jayhawks worked out Saturday morning in Orlando, Fla.