It’s the most wonderful time of the year… You guessed it: Bowl season. Where 38 meaningless college football games happen in the span of only a few weeks, all for the sake of brand recognition. This year, there are 41 total bowl games, and only three that matter – the two playoff games at the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, and the National Championship.
But more importantly than the competition or student athletes, I’d like to get into the best aspect of bowl season: The names of each game. Every year, the names and sponsors get better and better. We’ve reached the point where I don’t know how much more ridiculous they can get, but it’s amazing. There are literally tens of good bowl game names this year, but I’ll only pick a handful to discuss. Let us begin.
The Celebration Bowl (December 16th):
The Celebration Bowl is a fitting place to start, considering it is the first game of bowl season. Televised on ABC, this game takes place between the winners of the SWAC and MEAC conferences – two conferences that play at the FCS level of college football (a full level below the rest of the bowl-eligible teams). Last year, this game was decided by a missed extra point after an excessive celebration penalty by North Carolina Central pushed the kick back 15 yards. In other words, NCCU lost the Celebration Bowl as a result of excessive celebration. This is not a joke.
The Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl (December 19th):
Debuting in 2014 simply as the Boca Raton Bowl and spending one year as the Marmot Boca Raton bowl in 2015, this game went without a sponsor last year. However, adding some serious flavor and length to its name for 2017, the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl will be one to watch. With two very average teams from the Mid-American and American Athletic conferences battling for pretty much nothing, you’ll want to mark your calendar for this one.
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (December 21st):
I was sorely disappointed when Beef O’ Brady’s didn’t renew its sponsorship for this game in 2014. As arguably the most hilarious name from the years 2009-2013, the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg went without a sponsor from 2014-2016 (as the St. Petersburg Bowl), but now has new life as the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl. Where do I begin? Bad Boy Mowers as a sponsor? Phenomenal. Gasparilla? I don’t even know what that means! Combine the two and you have this genius idea. If the name isn’t enough to convince you to watch, I’ll add that it’s played at Tropicana Field – maybe the most hideous sports stadium in America.
Cactus Bowl (December 26th):
This is the Cactus Bowl, formerly known as the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl, formerly known as the TicketCity Cactus Bowl, formerly known as the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, not to be confused with the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl. And that’s all since 2012. Now it’s just the Cactus Bowl.
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl (December 28th):
A relatively tame name by today’s standards, this is the name that made me fall in love with bowl game sponsors several years ago. The San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl was my favorite. This year, San Diego County Credit Union upgraded to sponsor the Holiday Bowl, leaving my beloved Poinsettia Bowl abandoned in bowl limbo. In the Holiday Bowl’s most recent edition, Minnesota defeated Washington State in a 17-12 barn burner. Let’s hope for more fireworks this time around.
Belk Bowl (December 29th):
The Belk Bowl shows the evolution of bowl names. It doesn’t have a charming “Holiday Bowl” or “Sugar Bowl” attached to the Belk sponsorship. No, this bowl exists for the sole purpose of brand recognition, and for years I still wasn’t completely sure what Belk was. By not having a classic bowl name attached and by not raising my awareness in Belk as a company, this game has proven itself to be completely pointless. Not to mention, the average Belk Bowl victory margin since 2012 is over 18 points. Maybe this will be the year we get a compelling matchup!
College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual (January 1st):
As one of the three necessary bowl games being played this season, this isn’t one of my favorites, but its name cannot be ignored. It holds the distinction for longest name of a bowl game this year, and the most thought-provoking. Which part is presented by Northwestern Mutual? The College Football Playoff? Or the Rose Bowl Game? Either way, this game will take about four and a half hours if you don’t mind killing an entire afternoon on your couch.
College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T:
In other words, the National Championship.
Those are just a few of the games that grab my attention. Perhaps you’re more of a DXL Frisco Bowl fan. Maybe you spend your Christmas Eves as one of the 27 Hawaii Bowl viewers. There’s really no bad choices of all the 41 games. The only bad choice you can make is not to turn on your TV for some good old brand promotion, and maybe you’ll even see a touchdown or two while you’re at it.
