Finally, finally, finally: The 2019 college football bowl game season officially begins Friday afternoon with the Bahamas Bowl, and this year, games will be played way past New Year’s Day with the last one (not including the national championship game) coming on January 6.
There’s a lot to love about bowl games, from teams that would never schedule each other facing off to scenic backdrops of warmer locations than yours in the dead of winter to the excessive pageantry offered by some.
However, other aspects of bowl season could be better, particularly the ridiculous sponsored names attached to several games. Now, sponsors can be important for maximizing the potential of certain bowl games, and, of course, there’s a need for more money in a sport where everyone gets paid except the players.
But like in other sports, sponsors often lead to painfully terrible or awkward titles that make viewers cringe every time someone on TV attempts to say the full name of a bowl.
Good bowl game names are funny or clever or memorable. They’re not too long, say with a three- or four-word max, and “presented by” is never a good plan. A goofy or oddly specific product can be fun, like with the Cheez-It Bowl, and throwing a one-word company name ahead of a classic, like the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, isn’t the most obnoxious thing.
So to celebrate the start of the 2019 postseason, here are our top worst bowl game names.
2019 Bowl Game Names So Bad They’re Good
3. Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl
Who: Utah State vs. Kent State
When: Friday, December 20, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
We’d probably be a little less hard on this bowl game name if it was held someplace, you know, a little more associated with the word “tropical” than the landlocked Dallas-Fort Worth area. But there’s also something kind of great about “smoothie” being part of a bowl game name.
2. Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
Who: UCF vs. Marshall
When: Monday, Dec. 23, 2:30 p.m. ET
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
There’s a love-hate relationship with this bowl name but it’s absolutely so bad it’s sort of good when you unpack it. Plenty of sponsors ruin bowl game names, but maybe more names should have “bad boy” and references to mythical pirates in them. Plus, this bowl game also leads to lawn mower races, which are something special, and the trophy is treasure chest.
1. Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
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Who: Florida State vs. Arizona State
When: Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2 p.m. ET
Where: Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas
Undoubtedly, this is the No. 1 bowl game name that’s so bad it’s good. As FTW editor Nick Schwartz pointed out in a brief debate about how good or how awful this bowl’s name is, it’s better than trying to stomach some seven-word monstrosity that’s inherently annoying to attempt to say or type. So the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl could be bad bad, but we actually think it’s good bad.
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Just Bad 2019 Bowl Game Names
7. Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman
Who: North Carolina vs. Temple
When: Friday, Dec. 27, Noon ET
Where: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Maryland
What did we say about “presented by”? Everyone is going to drop that part anyway and just call it the Military Bowl — or the Rose Bowl, which also has a “presented by” sponsor.
6. Walk-On’s Independence Bowl
Who: Louisiana Tech vs. Miami
When: Thursday, Dec. 26, 4 p.m. ET
Where: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, Louisiana
Does this bowl name not make you think it’s a matchup of walk-ons? No disrespect to walk-ons. The upside here is the name will probably serve as inspiration for jokes at Miami’s expense if the team crumbles.
5. Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl
Who: SMU vs. Florida Atlantic
When: Saturday, Dec. 21, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: FAU Football Stadium, Boca Raton, Florida
Not as bad as when it was called the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl — though that name was funnier — but still not great. What about just the Cherry Bowl? Obviously, you’d lose the brand name, but that gives off a classic bowl game vibe that people might like.
4. Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl
Who: Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M
When: Friday, Dec. 27, 6:45 p.m. ET
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston
If you have special characters in your bowl game name, it’s probably not a good one.
3. FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl
Who: Liberty vs. Georgia Southern
When: Saturday, Dec. 21, 2:30 p.m. ET
Where: Orlando City Stadium, Orlando
There’s something about the name of this bowl game that makes you stumble over it just about every time you try to say it out loud. It shouldn’t be that challenging, but it is. And that’s not only annoying, but it also distracts from the name trying to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research.
2. San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl
Who: USC vs. Iowa
When: Friday, Dec. 27, 8 p.m. ET
Where: SDCCU Stadium, San Diego
That is too many words! Even the stadium name is abbreviated here. What about San Diego CCU Holiday Bowl? Still too many words, but at least the southern California city is still in here.
1. Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Who: Mississippi State vs. Louisville
When: Monday, Dec. 30, 4 p.m. ET
Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville
This is a great example of a perfectly fine root bowl name being completely ruined by a sponsor jumping in. Simply the Music City Bowl sounds like a good time for all, and Nashville is a cool city. But throw Franklin American Mortgage ahead of it, and you’re stumbling through the name before you even get to the good part.
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