The Independence Bowl will always be the Poulan Weedeater Independence Bowl even if they are not the sponsor.
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The Annual Bowl Game Guide/Naming Complaining Post of the Whopper
Filed under:
[What this is: Every year as a public service to those who write about bowl games, I update the same column to help you make sense of all the bowl games, offering comprehensible names and brand-free logos. I’ve now been at it so long that I’ve used up all of the Subsidized Time names]
 |
| unchanged |
: Hey Carol-Sue, I’ve got a question for you.
: What’s that, April?
: Well you know that last year Lewis and I discovered COMMON LANGUAGE™ for our annual bowl conversations.
: Oh, that’s great! Steve and I use COMMON LANGUAGE™ too. We find their patented, one-of-a-kind Talking Like a Human Being™ technology allows us to share ideas that represent the names of bowl games by assigning comprehensible meanings to sounds instead of letting advertisers choose them!
: Right, well lately Lewis has been wanting to go to the “Hall of Fame Bowl.” But I had to look up what that was on the Internet to know he meant the Outback Bowl.
: Oh. I see.
: Yeah. Like, on one hand, I know what the Outback Bowl is, and Lewis knows what the Outback Bowl is. Even my little brother Mork knows the Outback is that #3 Big Ten vs #3ish SEC game in Florida, even if he’s never heard of the Holiday Bowl.
: So what’s the problem?
: The problem is I feel like if I use the sponsor’s name like that it’ll just encourage bowl game operators to try to get me to stop using COMMON LANGUAGE™.
: Oh, no, you’ve got it all wrong Mary-Sue. You see, the great thing about COMMON LANGUAGE™ is you only have to use whatever works. COMMON LANGUAGE™ is specially formulated to prevent companies from intrusive marketing practices like interjecting themselves into private conversations. But the first rule of marketing is it’s only bad if it’s annoying. If it hinders communication it’s annoying. If it doesn’t, it’s good marketing.
: Also Ryan Nanni is going to be the Bloomin’ Onion for a quarter.
: Also that.
: Okay, you’re off the hook Outback Bowl, presented by OH FLIBBITY!
[Hit THE JUMP for a helpful schedule of all 40 bowl games, when they’re on, why they exist, and where they’re played, with sponsorless logos for all!]
------------------------------------------------------
click on a logo for a bigger version of it
| Saturday, December 16 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You call it | They say | Where? | Teams | Time | Logo |
| Celebration Bowl | Atlanta | Grambling/NC A&T | noon |  |
|
| FCS bowl started in 2015 between two historically black conferences | |||||
| New Orleans Bowl | New Orleans | Troy/N.Texas | 1pm |  |
|
| Since 2001 to give Sun Belt champ someone to play, usually C-USA. | |||||
| Cure Bowl | Orlando | GSU/WKU | 2:30 |  |
|
| Some UCF boosters knew the system, found a way to get in on the action in 2015. Share of proceeds goes to actually good charity. | |||||
| Las Vegas | Boise/Oregon | 3:30 |  |
||
| In 1992 to replace the California Raisin Bowl (West vs MAC). Now it's MWC/Pac | |||||
| New Mexico Bowl | Albuquerque, NM | Marshall/CSU | 4:30 |  |
|
| ESPN started it in 2006 to add some programming, rip off a couple WAC/MWC schools. C-USA replaced the WAC. | |||||
| Camellia Bowl | Montgomery, AL | ArkSt/MTSU | 8pm |  |
|
| ESPN started it in 2014 to rip off MAC/SunBelt schools, ripped off name from defunct D-II/D-III championship game from the '60s & '70s held in Sacramento (Camellia City), CA. | |||||
| December 19-21 (Tues-Thurs) | |||||
| You Call it | They say | Where? | Teams | Time | Logo |
| Boca Bowl | Boca Raton | FAU/Akron | 7pm |  |
|
| Get this sponsorship name: Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl. Another ESPN bowl started in 2014 to rip off some MAC/American schools | |||||
| Frisco Bowl | Frisco, TX | SMU/LaTech | 8pm |  |
|
| Not San Fran but Frisco, TX. Was the Miami Beach Bowl that the AAC started in 2014. They sold it to ESPN who moved it to this Dallas burb where FC Dallas plays. | |||||
| Gasparilla Bowl or Tampa II | St Petersburg | FIU/Temple | 8pm |  |
|
| ESPN bowl started in 2008 to rip off whomever I call it the Tampa II in my head but Gasparilla is an interesting tradition worth a google. | |||||
| Friday, December 22 | |||||
| You Call it | They say | Where? | Teams | Time | Logo |
| Bahamas Bowl | Nassau | OHIO!/UAB | 12:30 |  |
|
| ESPN bowl started in 2014 to rip off a MAC team and someone else | |||||
| Potato Bowl | Boise, ID | CMU/Wyo | 4pm |  |
|
| Was the Humanitarian Bowl, launched in 1997 to give the Big West champ somewhere to play after the Las Vegas Bowl dropped them. That became the WAC, then the MWC. Now they have the MAC's old International Bowl tie-in. | |||||
| Saturday, December 23 | |||||
| You Call it | They say | Where? | Teams | Time | Logo |
| Birmingham Bowl | Birmingham, AL | USF/TTU | 12pm |  |
|
| An ESPN bowl started in 2006. Used to be Big East/C-USA but now they rip off the dregs from AAC and SEC or whatever. | |||||
| Support the Troops! | Armed Forces | Ft Worth, TX | Army/SDSU | 3:30 |  |
| I can't keep the Military/Armed Forces straight—this one's connection to the armed forces is tenuous: Armed Forces Insurance became the title sponsor in 2006 and now they have Lockheed Martin too so you'll be more confused. It's one of the first ESPN bowls, started in 2003. Bottom feeder bowl with too many tie-ins to count. | |||||
| Mobile Bowl | Dollar General | Mobile, AL | AppSt/Toledo | 7pm |  |
| Mac vs Sun Belt exempli gratia of bottom-feeder bowls. Started in 1999 and best known for being a name whore (GMAC, GoDaddy.com) and trying to schedule itself after New Years. They shoulda called it the MoBowl. | |||||
| Sunday, December 24 | |||||
| You Call it | They say | Where? | Teams | Time | Logo |
| Hawaii Bowl | Honolulu | Fresno/Houton | 8:30 |  |
|
| ESPN bowl that picked up the history of several defunct Hawaiian bowls (Poi/Pineapple 1936-'52, Aloha 1982-'00). Was a low Pac bowl, now just MWC/C-USA game with a very low payout | |||||
| Tuesday, December 26 | |||||
| You Call it | They say | Where? | Teams | Time | Logo |
| Heart of Dallas or Cotton II | Dallas | Utah/WVU | 1:30 |  |
|
| The Heart of Dallas Group that ran the Cotton Bowl created this when the Cotton Bowl moved to Jerryworld. Now it's C-USA vs a low B1G or B12 in alternating years. | |||||
| Motor City | Quick Lane | Detroit, MI | Duke/NIU | 5:15 |   |
| Started in 2014 by the Detroit Lions to replace the old MCB (1997-2013) that folded. Was a low B1G vs MAC champ game, now low-B1G vs low-ACC. | |||||
| Cactus or Copper Bowl | Phoenix | KSU/UCLA | 9pm |   |
|
| Both names come from its founding in 1989--Copper won then, Cactus won when they lost the last sponsor name. It used to be in Tucson. Payout used to be mid-tier (M took home $3.5M in 2015), it's now a lower B12/P12 game. | |||||
| Wednesday, December 27 | |||||
| You Call it | They say | Where? | Teams | Time | Logo |
| Independence Bowl | Shreveport, LA | FSU/S.Miss | 1:30 |  |
|
| Started in 1976 as Southland Conf champ's home. Then it was a mid-tier B12/SEC game. Now it's a mid-tier SEC/ACC game. Independence Bowl itself is a real throwback stadium. | |||||
| Pinstripe Bowl | NYC | BCU/Iowa | 5:15 |  |
|
| Started by the Yankees (ick) in 2010 as a mid-lower tier ($2M payout) B1G/ACC game | |||||
| San Francisco | Foster Farms | San Francisco | Zona/Purdue | 8:30 |  |
| Started in 2002 by the SF Giants ownership group, it spent a few years as the Emerald Bowl, an ACC-Pac game. Now Jed York owns it and it's a low B1G/Pac game. | |||||
| Texas Bowl or Houston or Bluebonnet | Houston | Texas/Mizzou | 9pm |  |
|
| This replaced the Houston Bowl, which in turn replaced the Bluebonnet Bowl, which goes back to the '50s. The current iteration is owned by the Texans and gets mid-to-low Big XII/SEC teams. | |||||
| Thursday, December 28 | |||||
| You Call it | They say | Where? | Teams | Time | Logo |
| D.C. Bowl | Military | Annapolis, MD | UVA/Navy | 1:30 |  |
| They wanted to name it the Congressional Bowl when it launched in 2008. The city created it. | |||||
| Tangerine II | Camping World | Orlando, FL | OKST/VaTech | 5:15 |  |
| Miami Dolphins tried to start a baby brother to the Orange in 1990. It's since moved to Orlando. Sponsorship changes all the time. Today it's a low ACC/B12 game. Tangerine is an old name for the Citrus Bowl. | |||||
| Holiday Bowl | San Diego | MSU/WSU | 9pm |  |
|
| Started in 1978 because the Fiesta dropped the WAC when Zona & ASU jumped to the Pac. When the WAC broke up it became a the #2 Pac/B12 bowl. Since 2014 it's a mid-level Pac/B10 bowl, taking the old Alamo's B10 spot. | |||||
| Alamo Bowl | San Antonio | Stanford/TCU | 9pm |  |
|
| Started in 1993 to give a third bid to the SWC; bad timing yo. For a long time it was B10/B12 #4 game. They've now swapped the B10 for the Pac. | |||||
| Friday, December 29 | |||||
| You Call it | They say | Where? | Teams | Time | Logo |
| Queen City | Belk Bowl | Charlotte, NC | Wake/A&M | 1pm |  |
| Raycom Sports started it in 2002 as a #5 ACC vs #3 Big East. Now it's a bottom feeder ACC/SEC game. | |||||
| Sun Bowl | El Paso, TX | ASU/NCState | 3pm |  |
|
| That weird 80-year-old bowl that fell from New Year's Day to the pile of lowbies. Started in 1936 (they had a HS game in '35) and traditionally had at-lage teams. Fell back in the '80s, took a 6th spot in the B10 pecking order in 1995, and is now a low Pac/ACC game. | |||||
| Music City | Memphis | KY/N'western | 4:30 |  |
|
| Started by the Tennessee Titans when they moved from Houston (first game was in 1998). Lowbie bowl that gets a B10/ACC versus a low SEC. | |||||
| Arizona Bowl | Tucson, AZ | NMSU/UtahSt | 5:30 |  |
|
| Started in 2015 by Campus Insiders plus the MWC and the sharks who own the Fiesta Bowl bc Tucson lost the Cactus Bowl to Phoenix. Lowest of the low: takes an MWC team vs C-USA or Sun Belt. | |||||
| Cotton Bowl | Dallas | OSU/USC | 8:30 |  |
|
| Started in 1937 and took the SWC winner versus SEC #2 or an at-large. That became B12 #2 until it snuck past the Citrus to be a CFP game. Played at eponymous stadium until Jerryworld grabbed it in 2009. | |||||
| Saturday, December 30 | |||||
| You Call it | They say | Where? | Teams | Time | Logo |
| Gator Bowl | Taxslayer | Jacksonvile, FL | MissSt/Lville | noon |  |
| Started by some leading citizens of Jacksonville after WWII. Southern Conference was its original tie-in but they moved up to SEC then ACC vs various. Now a mid-tier SEC/B10/ACC bowl. | |||||
| Liberty Bowl | Memphis | Memphis/IowaSt | 12:30 |  |
|
| A Villanova athletic director started it in 1959 in Philadelphia and was the first bowl game played indoors. He moved it to Memphis in 1965. For a time it was the best military academy vs at-large, hooked itself to C-USA champ in 1996 and for a time it was the de facto mid-major championship. Now ti's a low B12/SEC game. | |||||
| Fiesta Bowl | Phoenix | PSU/Wash | 4pm |  |
|
| Started in 1971 to find a home for the WAC champ. Then it became an at-large/at-large and struck gold in the era of independents. Got caught ripping off everybody in 2009. Basically the SEC of bowls. | |||||
| Orange Bowl | Miami, FL | Miami(YTM)/Wis | 8pm |  |
|
| In 1932, after years of trying to emulate the Rose Bowl, they finally launched a copy in Miami. For most of its history it had the Big 8 and ACC champs. | |||||
| Monday, January 1 | |||||
| You Call it | They say | Where? | Teams | Time | Logo |
| Hall of Fame or Outback | Outback | Tampa, FL | Mich/SCar | noon |  |
| A bowl existed in Tampa in the late 40s/50s but the Hall of Fame Bowl started in Birmingham, AL in 1977. In 1986 the organizers moved it to Tampa. Outback's name sponsorship began in 1996, the same year it became the B10/SEC #3s game. | |||||
| Peach Bowl | Atlanta | Auburn/UCF | 12:30 |  |
|
| The Lions Club of Georgia started it in 1968 and it became the SEC #4/ACC#3 game. Chick-fil-A bought in in 1997 and upped the payout to get them up to ACC #2 and jumped the Outback. Then it bought its way into the CFP. | |||||
| Citrus Bowl | Orlando | ND/LSU | 1pm |  |
|
| Florida Citrus Sports started the Tangerine Bowl in 1947 as a D-II regional. It was an at-large game but the Fiesta beat them out for the 1986 PSU-Miami national championship and the Citrus became the ACC champ's game, then the B10/SEC #2. It tried and failed to be the 5th BCS game and bounced from the CFP when the Peach bought in. | |||||
| Rose Bowl (semi) | Pasadena, CA | Okla/UGA | 5pm |  |
|
| The Granddaddy of Them All. Began in 1902 to showcase the weather and football of the West Coast; the weather proved as advertised but Yost's Michigan proved the football wasn't close. Hosted the Pac/B10 champs again once the Big Ten decided to allow it in the mid-40s. | |||||
| Sugar Bowl (semi) | New Orleans | Clem/Bama | 8:45 |  |
|
| Third-oldest bowl began in 1935, having the SEC champ play an at-large. Tulane (built on a sugar plantation) hosted it until the Superdome was built in 1975. | |||||
| Monday, January 8 | |||||
| You Call it | They say | Where? | Teams | Time | Logo |
| National Championship Game | Dallas | Rose/Sugar | 8pm |  |
|
| Launched with the four-team playoff in 2014, with host cities bidding like the Super Bowl. | |||||
When I talk about rip-offs, I’m referring to the common practice of bowl games forcing the teams to pay ridiculous markups on hotels and travel, and getting kick-backs from that, and forcing those teams to buy up a bunch of seats they can’t sell. If you’ve watched the bottom feeder bowls before you’re familiar with empty stadia in southern towns nobody would ever want to visit, and you might have wondered how this could be economically viable. Well ESPN created or took over most of them, because live football is better than whatever else they’d be able to run then. ESPN can sell a name sponsorship and just has to send a crew down to cover it. They partner with a local group who represents big hotels and chain restaurants in that city who profit from the teams and their support staff visiting. The teams have to fork it up because the alternative is losing out on those bowl practices.
-------------------------------------
Discussion:
Lately “ambush marketing” has come to more narrowly define advertisers who hijack an event without paying the event organizers. So we need a new word to describe things like stadium naming rights and bowl games that pay the presenters of the product to hijack language.
Why is it an issue? Because it annoys sports fans, and that’s what we are. I spent a week putting this list to casual fans in my life as a “tell me if each is a bowl or not” and the most anyone got right is two:
See if you can guess which is the real bowl game:
Tennessee First Financial Bowl
Dairy Products of the American Heartland Bowl
Big Jon's Mud Stop Mississippi Bowl
Gebbers Farms Apple Bowl
Jeep Chrysler Liberty Bowl
Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl
Toys 'R Us Wow Classic— Seth M. Fisher (@Misopogon) December 1, 2017
I’m not saying this is a major national problem. I do think the more pushback they get on runaway annoyance the less they’ll do it. The evidence is that they do it less. In the chart above I left out all of the tacked-on names; you can figure out what part of “Kentucky Fried Chicken Peach Bowl” was sponsored without my help.
Since I’ve started whining about this, things have gotten remarkably better. A list of the bowl game names that still convey nothing and won’t stick around long enough to have any meaning:
- Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl—this name would be removed like the rest except people find it so ridiculous they keep including it.
- Armed Forces Bowl and the Military Bowl—They shouldn’t have two military themed bowls and it’s obvious which one deserves to be decertified: The “Armed Forces” Bowl is especially stupid since it has little to do with the U.S. Military—the name is a sponsorship from Armed Forces Insurance, and they’ve added a Northrop Grumman sponsorship on top of it. Dallas/Ft. Worth is not worth having all of these bowl games in the first place.
- Dollar General Bowl. This is the Mobile Bowl. Call it that or the Mo-Bowl. They change sponsors so often that you’ll never keep up otherwise.
- Quick Lane Bowl. Get it? Bowling? Hahahahaha actually that’s dumb it’s the Motor City Bowl for now and ever.
- Foster Farms Bowl. It’s in Levi’s Stadium. Does this convey any information? No. It’s the San Fran bowl, and yes I know it’s in Santa Clara; nobody ever said Auburn Hills Pistons.
- Camping World Bowl. Figure it out yet? What if I say Tangerine II.
- Belk Bowl. Queen City please.
- Taxslayer Bowl. It’s the Gator. This one pisses me off because at first I thought they got rid of the Gator Bowl.
That list is way shorter than just seven years ago, and things like the “Poulan WeedEater Bowl” have gone back to the recognizable “Independence Bowl.” It’s working.
December 13th, 2017 at 5:22 PM
#2
The Independence Bowl will
December 13th, 2017 at 5:44 PM
#3
Poulan
In my family we always added "All American" to the name just to add that little extra pizzaz: The Poulan Weedereater All American Independence Bowl." That screams CLASSY!
December 13th, 2017 at 5:56 PM
#4
i really want the band
i really want the band weedeater to sponsor a bowl game.
December 15th, 2017 at 5:10 PM
#5
Shreveportian here to confirm
I created an account for the sole purpose to report that I live in Shreveport and even we still call it the Poulan Weedeater Bowl most of the time.
December 13th, 2017 at 5:27 PM
#6
I came for Common Language
I stayed for the bowl history lesson. Well done good sir!
December 13th, 2017 at 5:32 PM
#7
People call it a waste
but I call it football!! And when my dad was alive it was our tradition that no matter where I was, I'd head to his house for vacation and we'd catch as many bowls as possible, including 3 TV's at once on New Years Day. Good times. :) :) (God I miss that).
December 13th, 2017 at 5:35 PM
#8
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl is the elite name of the bowl season this year.
December 13th, 2017 at 5:37 PM
#9
Championship game
should be on a Saturday
December 13th, 2017 at 5:37 PM
#10
No criticism of forcing people to vacation in Detroit?
In winter?
December 13th, 2017 at 5:52 PM
#11
Well, it's Duke
and I hate Duke so I just point and laugh! :)
December 13th, 2017 at 5:38 PM
#12
Both Carol-Sue and April are
Both Carol-Sue and April are way too hot to be having this conversation.
December 13th, 2017 at 5:42 PM
#13
and fun fact
before it was the Belk Bowl, it was the Meineke Bowl. I take my kids to it every year. I let my daughter pick who we cheer for. Early on it was what ever team had the dog as the mascot (U Conn, Georgia) and if no dogs, then which ever mascot/logo looked friendly...
December 14th, 2017 at 11:03 AM
#14
actually
Wasn't the official name the Meineke Car Car Bowl? Or am I conflating that with a different bowl?
December 14th, 2017 at 1:07 PM
#15
That was it. And before
That was it. And before that, it was the Continental Tire Bowl. At least then, you could just call it the "Tire Bowl", although a game with that name really should be in Akron, not Charlotte.
December 13th, 2017 at 5:43 PM
#16
I think the Belk Bowl's
I think the Belk Bowl's social media team has done enough to change the used name to the Belk Bowl.
December 13th, 2017 at 6:45 PM
#17
I'm torn on it. On one hand,
I'm torn on it. On one hand, I tend to agree, the Belk Bowl is rapidly approaching Outback Bowl levels of name recognition. On the other, the Queen City Bowl is a goddamn great name.
December 13th, 2017 at 5:44 PM
#18
Thanks Seth...Learned
Thanks Seth...Learned alot.
I'm probably in the minority that has no problem with the oversaturated number of bowl games because college football is the most entertaining brand of all sports and I'm all for more of it. Plus it's nice that kids from the Midwest and other cold areas get to go South for vacation and some swag after working hard throughout the season.
December 13th, 2017 at 5:49 PM
#19
Gasparilla Bowl
I thought the Gasparilla Bowl was in Tokyo where the giant fire breathing Gasparilla takes on all comers.
December 13th, 2017 at 6:07 PM
#20
Don't forget about the Yale Bowl
The reason the Rose Bowl has its name is because the Rose Bowl stadium was modeled after Yale's oval-shaped innovation:
The term "bowl" originated from the Rose Bowl stadium, site of the first post-season college football games. The Rose Bowl Stadium, in turn, takes its name and bowl-shaped design from the Yale Bowl, the prototype of many football stadiums in the United States.
December 13th, 2017 at 6:10 PM
#21
Another stadium modeled off
Another stadium modeled off of Yale's . . . Michigan Stadium.
December 13th, 2017 at 6:43 PM
#22
I'm pleasantly surprised how
I'm pleasantly surprised how few bowls need to be renamed nowadays, and I can only assume that's directly attributable to this series of posts. You're doing the Lord's work here Seth.
December 13th, 2017 at 6:52 PM
#23
Heart of Dallas Bowl
Does anybody call it that? It's officially known as the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl, so I just call it the Zaxby's Bowl. This is how I first found out about Zaxby's, so in this case, the sponsorship worked, except it didn't because I've never been to a Zaxby's. The best thing about Zaxby's is their menu. They've got Chicken Fingerz and other assorted 'z' items like a Cobb Zalad and a kidz menu. I think both teams should be required to wear "uniformz" for the game. On the day of the game, I replace all s's with z's. Itz fun for the whole family.
December 13th, 2017 at 7:20 PM
#24
Does anyone else get a little
Does anyone else get a little annoyed at just calling the bowl the name of the city or state? That is, New Mexico Bowl, Frisco Bowl, etc. I get they want to advertise the location (and further get that I'm being nitpicky at this point) but c'mon - Mobile, for example, is self-styled the "Azalea City." Boom - the Azalea Bowl. The Birmingham Bowl is played at Legion Field. Come on, man! Legion Bowl! Bluebonnet Bowl >> Texas Bowl. Aloha Bowl >> Hawaii Bowl. And so on. I feel like we could make even shitty bowl games sound cool if we just tried.
December 13th, 2017 at 9:14 PM
#25
The Green Chile Bowl ... The Enchantment Bowl
I have absolutely NO idea why the New Mexico Bowl hasn't changed their name. There are several cool possibilities for a bowl name that would be unique and give a flavor for the state of New Mexico.
That one I don't get. Seems like a lost opportunity.
December 13th, 2017 at 11:55 PM
#26
Except
The bowl played at Legion Field was the Iron Bowl. And it was a regular season game.
December 13th, 2017 at 7:43 PM
#27
April's Real Identity
"April" became "Mary-Sue" at the end of the interview. What the hell is her real name?
December 13th, 2017 at 8:22 PM
#28
maybe that's a nickname? or
maybe that's a nickname? or maybe i'm lazy with my stock characters.
December 14th, 2017 at 11:09 AM
#29
But Carol-Sue stayed in
But Carol-Sue stayed in character, so at least she has her personal identity sorted out. In any event, loved this:
Even my little brother Mork knows the Outback is that #3 Big Ten vs #3ish SEC game in Florida, even if he’s never heard of the Holiday Bowl.
December 13th, 2017 at 7:50 PM
#30
Dollar General Bowl is just
Dollar General Bowl is just sad.
December 13th, 2017 at 9:15 PM
#31
Dollar General is adding 900
Dollar General is adding 900 new stores in 2018, while the rest of on-premise retail is totally collapsing.
All the Bowls will be Dollar General Bowls pretty soon.
December 13th, 2017 at 9:24 PM
#32
Hard to buy shit in the interwebz with shipping
Hard to buy shit in the interwebz with shipping for a buck...so ya good business model
December 13th, 2017 at 8:02 PM
#33
What about the bourbon bowl?
What about the bourbon bowl?
December 14th, 2017 at 1:15 PM
#34
tbh, I think Louisville
tbh, I think Louisville should create a real Bourbon Bowl
December 13th, 2017 at 8:46 PM
#35
I miss the Little Caesar's
I miss the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl name. The thought of a whole pizza mushed into a bowl always made me laugh. What the hell is Quick Lane anyway.
December 13th, 2017 at 9:18 PM
#36
I think they're an oil change
I think they're an oil change place, like Jiffy Lube?
December 14th, 2017 at 1:09 PM
#37
Correct, but in this case,
Correct, but in this case, owned by Ford and mostly situated at Ford dealerships.
December 13th, 2017 at 9:15 PM
#38
Bowl Lineup
I've pitched this before, but I've always been partial to the idea of making bowl games real accomplishments. It's not a radical change to the system, but incorporates the idea of giving the bowl games actual names and grouping them by tiers while still maintaining some flexibility to create great matchups. So, we could say, Harbaugh has made 1 New Year's Six bowl and 2 Tier II bowls.
NEW YEAR'S SIX
Cotton Bowl: At Large vs At Large or CFP Semifinal [Dec. 30th] (Arlington, TX)
Fiesta Bowl: At Large vs At Large or CFP Semifinal [Dec. 30th] (Glendale, AZ)
Orange Bowl: ACC #1 vs At Large [Jan. 1st] (Miami Gardens, FL)
Peach Bowl: At Large vs At Large or CFP Semifinal [Dec. 30th] (Atlanta, GA)
Rose Bowl: Big 10 #1 vs Pac-12 #1 or CFP Semifinal [Jan. 1st] (Pasadena, CA)
Sugar Bowl: Big 12 #1 vs SEC #1 or CFP Semifinal [Jan. 1st] (New Orleans, LA)
TIER II BOWLS
Alamo Bowl: Big XII #2/#3 vs Pac-12 #2/#3 [Dec. 28th] (San Antonio, TX)
Citrus Bowl: Big 10 #2/#3 vs SEC #2/#3 [Jan. 1st] (Orlando, FL)
Gator Bowl: ACC #2/#3 vs Big XII #2/#3 [Dec. 30th] (Jacksonville, FL)
Holiday Bowl: Big 10 #2/#3 vs Pac-12 #2/#3 [Dec. 28th] (San Diego, CA)
Outback Bowl: SEC #2/#3 vs At Large [Jan. 1st] (Tampa, FL)
Sun Bowl: ACC #2/#3 vs At Large [Dec. 29th] (El Paso, TX)
TIER III BOWLS
Las Vegas Bowl: Mountain West #1 vs Pac-12 #4 [Dec. 23rd] (Las Vegas, NV)
Liberty Bowl: American #1 vs Big XII #4 [Dec. 30th] (Memphis, TN)
Military Bowl: Commander-in-Chief's Trophy Winner vs At Large [Dec. 28th] (Annapolis, MD or West Point, NY or Colorado Springs, CO)
Motor City Bowl: Big Ten #4 vs MAC #1 [Dec. 26th] (Detroit, MI)
Music City Bowl: SEC #4 vs Sun Belt #1 [Dec. 29th] (Nashville, TN)
Queen City Bowl: ACC #4 vs Conference USA #1 [Dec. 29th] (Charlotte, NC)
TIER IV BOWLS
Bahamas Bowl: Conference USA #2/#3 vs MAC #2/#3 [Dec. 23rd] (Nassau, BA)
Birmingham Bowl: American #2/#3 vs At Large [Dec. 23rd] (Birmingham, AL)
Cactus Bowl: Big 12 #5/#6 vs Pac-12 #5/#6 [Dec. 26th] (Phoenix, AZ)
Camellia Bowl: Conference USA #2/#3 vs Sun Belt #2/#3 [Dec. 23rd] (Montgomery, AL)
Christmas Bowl: Big 10 #5/#6 vs At Large [Dec. 25th] (Los Angeles, CA)*
Hawai'i Bowl: American #2/#3 vs Mountain West #2/#3 [Dec. 23rd] (Honolulu, HI)
Idaho Potato Bowl: Mountain West #2/#3 vs At Large [Dec. 23rd] (Boise, ID)
Independence Bowl: ACC #5/#6 vs SEC #5/#6 [Dec. 26th] (Shreveport, LA)
Mobile Bowl: MAC #2/#3 vs Sun Belt #2/#3 [Dec. 25th] (Mobile, AL)
Pinstripe Bowl: ACC #5/#6 vs Big 10 #5/#6 [Dec. 27th] (Bronx, NY)
San Francisco Bowl: Pac-12 #5/#6 vs At Large [Dec. 27th] (Santa Clara, CA)
Texas Bowl: Big 12 #5/#6 vs SEC #5/#6 [Dec. 27th] (Houston, TX)
We're pushing the start of the bowl games back a week until the 23rd. Five games on the two Saturdays (23rd and 30th) and New Year's Day. Three games on every other day on BOWL WEEK. I also created a new bowl game called the Christmas Bowl which takes place on Christmas Day starting in the LA Coliseum and then moving to the new NFL stadium being built. 30 Bowl Games in total, down from 40. Conference standings dictate order, once the CFP rankings determine the New Year's Six. So, what would this year's slate look like...
NEW YEAR'S SIX
Cotton Bowl: #5 Ohio State vs #8 USC
Fiesta Bowl: #9 Penn State vs #11 Washington
Orange Bowl: #10 Miami vs #6 Wisconsin
Peach Bowl: #7 Auburn vs #12 UCF
Rose Bowl: #2 Oklahoma vs #3 Oklahoma
Sugar Bowl: #1 Clemson vs #4 Alabama
TIER II BOWLS
Alamo Bowl: #15 TCU vs #13 Stanford
Citrus Bowl: #16 Michigan State vs #17 LSU
Gator Bowl: #14 Notre Dame vs #19 Oklahoma State
Holiday Bowl: #21 Northwestern vs #18 Washington State
Outback Bowl: South Carolina vs Michigan
Sun Bowl: #22 Virginia Tech vs #20 Memphis
TIER III BOWLS
Las Vegas Bowl: #25 Boise State vs Arizona State
Liberty Bowl: USF vs Texas
Military Bowl: Army vs West Virginia
Motor City Bowl: Purdue vs Toledo
Music City Bowl: #23 Mississippi State vs Troy
Queen City Bowl: #24 NC State vs Florida Atlantic
TIER IV BOWLS
Bahamas Bowl: North Texas vs Akron
Birmingham Bowl: Houston vs Kentucky
Cactus Bowl: Iowa State vs Arizona
Camellia Bowl: UAB vs Arkansas State
Christmas Bowl: Iowa vs UCLA
Hawai'i Bowl: Navy vs San Diego State
Idaho Potato Bowl: Fresno State vs Texas Tech
Independence Bowl: Louisville vs Missouri
Mobile Bowl: Central Michigan vs Appalachain State
Pinstripe Bowl: Boston College vs Temple
San Francisco Bowl: Oregon vs Wyoming
Texas Bowl: Kansas State vs Texas A&M
In this scenario, there would be 16 bowl eligible teams who get left out. I think in this case, they should still be allowed to hold "bowl practices" even if the team isn't practicing for a particular game as a reward for a .500 season.
December 13th, 2017 at 9:33 PM
#39
The over commercialization
Of all the bowl games makes my head hurt. For some reason, the Belk Bowl grates on me the most.
December 13th, 2017 at 9:46 PM
#40
Can we start doing this with
Can we start doing this with stadium names next? For instance, can't we just start saying that the Tigers play at Tiger Stadium? And the Pistons and Red Wings play at, I dunno, the New Olympia? Ford Field can stay as is since the Ford name is almost synonymous with Detroit, plus the Fords own the team. But there are just some things that shouldn't be for rent.
December 14th, 2017 at 10:00 AM
#41
Um
you have noticed that we are even selling coordinator positions at Michigan right?
Yes, it is sad.
December 13th, 2017 at 10:21 PM
#42
Gasparilla
save the Google... Gasparilla is a celebration in Tampa where people dress up like pirates and throw beads out during a parade to pay homage to Jose Gaspar, who invaded the city of Tampa at some point... lots of shenanigans with that one, usually around Super Bowl time.
December 13th, 2017 at 10:43 PM
#43
More is more, and that's good
For many of these days I will be caged up at my mother in laws house in rural Minnesota. If I can watch the Heart of Dallas bowl on Tuesday at 1:30 with a beer in my hand, morph into the the Motor City bowl, and finally fall asleep sometime during the Cactus bowl, I'm all for it! Get up Wednesday and repeat.
December 13th, 2017 at 11:00 PM
#44
Carol-Sue’s thumb
Carol-Sue’s thumb is disturbingly large.
December 14th, 2017 at 10:04 AM
#45
not according
to April . .
December 13th, 2017 at 11:07 PM
#46
Atlanta
Isn't the Championship Game in Atlanta this year?
December 13th, 2017 at 11:35 PM
#47
TIL the Cure Bowl gives money
TIL the Cure Bowl gives money to a real charity that actually spends its money researching cancer cures, called The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and not the Susan G. Koman Scam I thought it did.
December 13th, 2017 at 11:36 PM
#48
I enjoy musing on the
I enjoy musing on the Bluebonnet Bowl. Not the game, just the abstract concept embodied by the words "Bluebonnet Bowl."
December 14th, 2017 at 9:24 AM
#49
For some reason
I was never able to conjur up images of Lady Bird Johnson’s favorite Texas wildflowers. The only things that came to mind were bowls of margarine and toilet bowl cleaner.
December 14th, 2017 at 12:26 AM
#50
Shout out to...
the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. May she rest in peace.
December 14th, 2017 at 3:36 AM
#51
Thanks as always for this
Thanks as always for this Seth!
One of my favorite reads off of this site all year long. I love COMMON LANGUAGE!
