College football bowl season kicks off: What brands are sponsoring bowl games?
College football games offer fans one last chance to see their favorite team take the field for the season, while brands can build exposure through sponsorships
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College football’s bowl season is set to kick off with fans around the country set to tune in for the finale of their favorite team’s season.
Bowl season is a time for college football fans to enjoy their last glimpses of the gridiron until the following fall. The bowl games range from the historic – the "Granddaddy of Them All" as the Rose Bowl is affectionately known – to newer bowl games that trade head coaches’ traditional postgame Gatorade bath for being doused in substances like mayonnaise.
Bowl season also presents an opportunity for companies to build their brands by sponsoring games. Although details about exact sponsorship agreements can be hard to come by, companies may spend several hundred thousand dollars to get their brand name attached to a lower-tier bowl game, while title sponsorships for higher profile games like the prestigious New Year’s Six bowls can run into tens of millions of dollars.
Bowl games also tend to have additional sponsors and partners beyond those attached to the name of the bowl. The income is used to support local philanthropic endeavors as well as to make payments to the conferences that each participating team is a member of, which are in turn distributed to individual schools to support their intercollegiate athletic programs.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO SPONSOR A COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL GAME?
The Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential will host a CFP Semifinal between the Michigan Wolverines and Alabama Crimson Tide. ((Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Here’s a look at each of this year’s bowl game matchups. All times listed are Eastern Standard Time.
Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023
- Myrtle Beach Bowl - Georgia Southern Eagles vs. Ohio Bobcats, Conway, S.C., 11:00 a.m.
- Cricket Celebration Bowl - Howard Bison vs. Florida A&M Rattlers, Atlanta, Ga., noon
- R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - Jacksonville State Gamecocks vs. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, New Orleans, La., 2:15 p.m.
- Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl - Miami (Ohio) Redhawks vs. Appalachian Mountaineers, Orlando, Fla., 3:30 p.m.
- Isleta New Mexico Bowl - New Mexico State Aggies vs. Fresno State Bulldogs, Albuquerque, N.M., 5:45 p.m.
- Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk - UCLA Bruins vs. Boise State Broncos, Inglewood, Calif., 7:30 p.m.
- Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl - California Golden Bears vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders, Shreveport, La., 9:15 p.m.
ROB GRONKOWSKI WILL SING NATIONAL ANTHEM AT UPCOMING BOWL GAME
Football legend Rob "Gronk" Gronkowski is set to host the LA Bowl, where he will sing the national anthem. Here, Gronk parties with the Cadets as Army takes on Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., on December 9, 2023. ((Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald via Getty) / Getty Images)
Monday, Dec. 18, 2023
- Famous Toastery Bowl - Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. Old Dominion Monarchs, Charlotte, N.C., 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023
- Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl - UT San Antonio Roadrunners vs. Marshall Thundering Herd, Frisco, Texas, 9:00 p.m.
A view of the playing field with Diamond Head in the background during the second half of the EasyPost Hawaii Bowl at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on December 24, 2022, in Honolulu, Hawaii. ((Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023
- Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl - South Florida Bulls vs. Syracuse Orange, Boca Raton, Fla., 8:00 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 22, 2023
- Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Central Florida Knights, Tampa, Fla., 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023
- 76 Birmingham Bowl - Troy Trojans vs. Duke Blue Devils, Birmingham, Ala., noon
- Camellia Bowl - Arkansas State Red Wolves vs. Northern Illinois Huskies, Montgomery, Ala., noon
- Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl - James Madison Dukes vs. Air Force Falcons, Fort Worth, Texas, 3:30 p.m.
- Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - Georgia State Panthers vs. Utah State Aggies, Boise, Idaho, 3:30 p.m.
- 68 Ventures Bowl - South Alabama Jaguars vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles, Mobile, Ala. 7:00 p.m.
- SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl - Utah Utes vs. Northwestern Wildcats, Las Vegas, Nev., 7:30 p.m.
- EasyPost Hawaii Bowl - Coastal Carolina Chanticleers vs. San Jose State Spartans, Honolulu, Hawaii, 10:30 p.m.
Wyoming Cowboys head coach Craig Bohl of the Wyoming Cowboys prepares for a french fry shower at the end of the 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. ((Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023
- Quick Lane Bowl - Bowling Green Falcons vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers, Detroit, Mich., 2:00 p.m.
- SERVPRO First Responder Bowl - Texas State Bobcats vs. Rice Owls, Dallas, Texas, 5:30 p.m.
- Guaranteed Rate Bowl - Kansas Jayhawks vs. UNLV Rebels, Phoenix, Ariz., 9:00 p.m.
Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley is dunked with Duke's Mayo after defeating the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the 2022 the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina. ((Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023
- Military Bowl Presented by GoBowling.com - Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Tulane Green Wave, Annapolis, Md., 2:00 p.m.
- Duke’s Mayo Bowl - North Carolina Tar Heels vs. West Virginia Mountaineers - Charlotte, N.C., 5:30 p.m.
- DIRECTV Holiday Bowl - #15 Louisville Cardinals vs. USC Trojans, San Diego, Calif., 8:00 p.m.
- TaxAct Texas Bowl - Texas A&M Aggies vs. #20 Oklahoma State Cowboys, Houston, Texas, 9:00 p.m.
Oregon Ducks wide receiver Chase Cota (23) celebrates a touchdown against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2022 Holiday Bowl. - The 2023 DIRECTV Holiday Bowl will air on FOX on Dec. 27 pitting the #15 Louisville Cardinals against the USC Trojans. ((Photo by Justin Fine/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023
- Wasabi Fenway Bowl - #24 SMU Mustangs vs. Boston College Eagles, Boston, Mass., 11:00 a.m.
- Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl - Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Miami Hurricanes, Bronx, N.Y., 2:15 p.m.
- Pop-Tarts Bowl - #18 North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. #25 Kansas State Wildcats, Orlando, Fla., 5:45 p.m.
- Valero Alamo Bowl - #14 Arizona Wildcats vs. #12 Oklahoma Sooners, San Antonio, 9:15 p.m.
The Michigan State Spartans face off against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the 2019 New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. ((Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Friday, Dec. 29, 2023
- TaxSlayer Gator Bowl - #22 Clemson Tigers vs. Kentucky Wildcats, Jacksonville, Fla., noon
- Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl - #19 Oregon State Beavers vs. #16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, El Paso, Texas, 2 p.m.
- AutoZone Liberty Bowl - Memphis Tigers vs. Iowa State Cyclones, Memphis, Tenn., 3:30 p.m.
- Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - #9 Missouri Tigers vs. #7 Ohio State Buckeyes, Arlington, Texas, 8:00 p.m.
KIRK HERBSTREIT REAFFIRMS STANCE THAT FLORIDA STATE IS NOT ONE OF ‘THE BEST 4’ TEAMS
Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023
- Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - #11 Ole Miss Rebels vs. #10 Penn State Nittany Lions, Atlanta, Ga., noon
- TransPerfect Music City Bowl - Auburn Tigers vs. Maryland Terrapins, Nashville, Tenn., 2:00 p.m.
- Capital One Orange Bowl - #6 Georgia Bulldogs vs. #5 Florida State Seminoles, Miami, Fla., 4:00 p.m.
- Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl - Toledo Rockets vs. Wyoming Cowboys, Tucson, Ariz., 4:30 p.m.
Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh celebrates winning the Big Ten Championship against the Iowa Hawkeyes on December 2, 2023 in Indianapolis, Ind. ((Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Monday, Jan. 1, 2024
- ReliaQuest Bowl - Wisconsin Badgers vs. #13 LSU Tigers, Tampa, Fla., noon
- Vrbo Fiesta Bowl - #23 Liberty Flames vs. #8 Oregon Ducks, Glendale, Ariz., 1 p.m.
- Cheez-It Citrus Bowl - #17 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. #21 Tennessee Volunteers, Orlando, Fla., 1 p.m.
- CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential - #4 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. #1 Michigan Wolverines, Pasadena, Calif., 5:00 p.m.
- CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl - #3 Texas Longhorns vs. #2 Washington Huskies, New Orleans, La., 8:45 p.m.
Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) holds up the MVP trophy and celebrates after winning the Pac-12 Championship Game presented by 76 between the Oregon Ducks and the Huskies on Dec. 1, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nev. ((Photo by Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
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Monday, Jan. 8, 2024
- CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T - Rose Bowl winner vs. Sugar Bowl winner, 7:30 p.m.