A primer on bowl game title sponsors, from condiments to Kimmel

Sponsors of bowl games come and go faster than athletes in the transfer portal.

Keeping tabs on the new and returning title sponsors for 42 bowl games, to say nothing of presenting sponsors, is a dizzying holiday activity. Spoiler alert: Your head will spin.

Sponsors both new and long-entrenched run the gamut. There are smartphone companies, “hot cloud” storage companies, digital marketplaces, a battle royale mobile game, a controversial media platform, potatoes from Idaho, an unmistakable cereal mascot, a century-old mayonnaise maker and Jimmy Kimmel. 

There are the household-name sponsors that have been around forever (well, at least since the last century): Outback Steakhouse and Chick-fil-A. And there is TaxAct. Don’t forget TaxAct. 

Remembering all these is about as realistic as reciting all the conference realignment machinations the past six months … in order. So here is a cheat sheet to offer some clarity as you prepare for the bombardment of full bowl game names coming to a TV set near you (or preferred streaming device) over the next few weeks.

December 17

Bahamas Bowl

In March 2020, an ESPN spokesperson said that Elk Grove Village/Makers Wanted would not be returning as the game’s title sponsor after a two-year run. There is no title sponsor for the bowl this season.

Tailgreeter Cure Bowl

ESPN Events, which owns and operates the game, and the Orlando Sports Foundation, which manages the game, announced that Chicago-based Tailgreeter, a digital marketplace that aims to make tailgating more accessible to fans globally, is the new title sponsor. 

December 18

RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl

Last December, RoofClaim.com signed up to be the title sponsor through the 2023 season. RoofClaim.com is a service technology company specializing in roof repairs and replacements, bringing a network of realtors, insurance companies and contractors directly to homeowners in need of roofing services.

PUBG Mobile New Mexico Bowl

Hyped as the original battle royale game, it is allegedly quite popular throughout Asia. The bowl game’s title sponsor is a free-to-play shooter battle royale video game developed by LightSpeed & Quantum Studio, a division of Tencent Games. 

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl

Radiance Technologies announced a one-year extension to ensure that it will be the title sponsor of the bowl in Shreveport, La., through the 2025 season. Founded in 1999, the company is a 100 percent employee-owned small business prime contractor. It has more than 900 employee-owners across the nation serving the Department of Defense, national intelligence community and other government agencies. 

LendingTree Bowl

The Charlotte-based company, which was founded in 1996 by Lebda, is the nation’s leading online marketplace for loan offers. It offers consumers a centralized location to receive multiple loan offers by filling out just one form. The bowl is played in Mobile, Ala.

Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl presented by Stifel

The inaugural LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium secured a recognizable name to serve as the title sponsor: Kimmel, the ABC talk show host. The game’s launch was delayed from 2020 to this season because of the pandemic. When announced, Kimmel said in his show’s opening monologue: “This is not a joke. This is a real bowl game named after me.”

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

R+L Carriers, which has been the game’s presenting sponsor since 2006, this week announced a three-week extension through 2024. The Wilmington, Ohio, freight shipping company boasts a fleet of more than 21,000 tractors and trailers. 

December 20

Myrtle Beach Bowl presented by TaxAct

TaxAct, which bills itself as a leading provider of digital and downloadable tax preparation solutions, has a strong presence throughout bowl season. It is the title sponsor of the Texas Bowl and the Camellia Bowl and is the presenting sponsor of the Myrtle Beach Bowl.

December 21

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

In 2019, the Idaho Potato Commission signed a two-year extension for the naming rights to the bowl through the 2023 season. The IPC has been the title sponsor since 2011. The IPC is a state agency tasked with promoting and protecting the famed “Grown in Idaho®” seal, which the Idaho Potato Commission notes is “a federally registered trademark that assures consumers they are purchasing genuine, top-quality Idaho® potatoes.”

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl

In 2019, the bowl announced a multiyear agreement with Tropical Smoothie Cafe as the title sponsor. With 775 locations nationwide, the company fashions itself as a fast-casual concept that inspires healthier lifestyles. The bowl is in Frisco, Texas, in the Dallas Metroplex.

December 22

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Lockheed Martin, a leading defense and technology company, has been the title sponsor since 2014 and will continue in the same capacity through at least 2025 for the bowl, played at TCU’s stadium in Fort Worth.

December 23

Frisco Football Classic

The just-added-last-week bowl will replace the canceled San Francisco Bowl. The NCAA approved it to accommodate all 83 bowl-eligible teams. 

Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl

In October 2020, Union Home Mortgage announced a multiyear deal to be the title sponsor for the Tampa bowl. It is a full-service retail, wholesale and consumer-direct independent mortgage banking company with more than 150 branches nationwide. 

December 24

EasyPost Hawaii Bowl

In August, the Hawaii Bowl signed a three-year deal with EasyPost to be the title sponsor. EasyPost is a multicarrier shipping API that integrates more than 100 global carriers, such as USPS, UPS, FedEx and DHL.

December 25

TaxAct Camellia Bowl

TaxAct gets into the act again, so to speak, with another title sponsorship, this one for a game in Montgomery, Ala.

December 27

Quick Lane Bowl

Ford Motor Company’s Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center became the title sponsor before the inaugural bowl in 2014. The game is played at Ford Field in Detroit.

Military Bowl presented by Peraton 

Virginia-based Peraton is billed as the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider. Its specialties include space, intelligence, cyber, defense and homeland security. The bowl is played at Navy’s home stadium in Annapolis, Md.

December 28

TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl

The Kansas-based ticket resale company offers tickets for live events, aiming to make resale opportunities more efficient and flexible. 

Servpro First Responder Bowl

Servpro has been the title sponsor since 2018. Founded in 1967, Servpro provides fire and water cleanup and restoration services as well as mold mitigation and remediation. The bowl is played at SMU’s stadium in Dallas.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Memphis-based AutoZone has served as the title sponsor for the game in Memphis since 2004 and will continue to do so at least through the 2025 season. The company is a leading distributor of automotive parts and accessories in the United States. 

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl

The Holiday Bowl has been sponsored by the San Diego County Credit Union since 2017. The company represents San Diego’s largest locally owned financial institution serving San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties. 

Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Residential mortgage company Guaranteed Rate became the title sponsor of the Phoenix bowl in the fall of 2020. The Chicago-based company has more than 700 offices nationwide. 

December 29

Wasabi Fenway Bowl

Boston-based Wasabi Technologies, announced as the title sponsor in November, is a leading provider of hot cloud storage solutions for business. Founded in 2017, it has been named one of technology’s 50 fastest-growing companies.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl

New Era, the headwear and apparel brand founded in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1920 sees its contract with the New York Yankees ending this month. The Yankees are in the early stages of selling the naming rights to the game, the New York Post reported. And the rights are being marketed by Legends Global Partnerships, which is owned partly by the Yankees. 

Cheez-It Bowl

Cheez-it, the popular snack company, announced in May 2020 a multiyear agreement with Florida Citrus Sports to be the title sponsor for the game in Orlando. The partnership includes exclusive naming rights, digital and social media content, in-stadium exposure, product sampling and on-site activations. 

Valero Alamo Bowl

The Valero Energy Corporation has sponsored the game in San Antonio since 2007. The partnership runs through 2025. The San Antonio-based Fortune 500 company is a manufacturer and marketer of transportation fuels, other petrochemical products and power. 

December 30

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

In June 2020, Duke’s Mayonnaise announced it would be the new title sponsor for the Charlotte bowl. The company is owned by Sauer Brands, Inc., which was founded as The C.F. Sauer Company in 1887.

TransPerfect Music City Bowl

In December 2019, New York-based TransPerfect announced it would be the new title sponsor for the Nashville bowl. The agreement runs through 2025. Founded in 1992, TransPerfect is now considered the world’s largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business. 

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

The popular restaurant chain has been the title sponsor for the Atlanta game since the 1996 season, which makes it the second-longest sponsorship in the bowl industry. Only the Outback Bowl has a longer sponsorship streak.

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl

The building products distributor SRS Distribution signed a five-year agreement last spring to become the title sponsor. Founded in 2008, the McKinney, Texas-based company has grown to become one of the nation’s largest building products distributors. 

December 31

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

TaxSlayer.com began sponsoring the game in Jacksonville in 2012; the bowl became known as the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in 2018. The Augusta, Ga.-based TaxSlayer is a tax preparation and financial technology company. 

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes was announced as the new title sponsor in the summer of 2019, making Tony the Tiger the first mascot to give his name to a bowl game. The deal also was viewed as returning the Sun Bowl, which is in El Paso, Texas, to its original mission of helping kids play sports. 

Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl

The Arizona Bowl, played in Tucson, announced the digital media platform as its new title sponsor this past summer, sparking controversy that has not abated. Barstool has been a lightning rod for criticism, as has its founder, Dave Portnoy.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

Goodyear Tire & Rubber company became the title sponsor for the Dallas bowl in November 2014.

Capital One Orange Bowl

Capital One became the title sponsor of Miami’s Orange Bowl in 2014. 

January 1

Outback Bowl

Tampa-based Outback Steakhouse has been the longest bowl game title sponsor in history. It became the title sponsor in 1995; the current agreement runs through the 2026 game in Tampa. 

Vrbo Citrus Bowl

The vacation rental marketplace has sponsored the game in Orlando since the 2019 season. 

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

PlayStation renewed its multi-year deal to be the title sponsor for the Phoenix-area bowl in 2018. The deal also designated PlayStation as the official gaming and virtual reality sponsor for the College Football Playoff and the New Year’s Six Bowl games. 

Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One Venture X

Capital One Venture X — the company’s newest travel credit card — is a presenting sponsor for the Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, Calif. And don’t forget that Capital One is an “NCAA Corporate Champion.”

Allstate Sugar Bowl

New Orleans’ Sugar Bowl has been sponsored by Allstate since 2007.

January 4

TaxAct Texas Bowl

Get ready to hear TaxAct mentioned more than a few times over the next few weeks. It has partnerships with three games, including this one in Houston. 

January 10

CFP National Championship presented by AT&T

AT&T is the presenting sponsor of the biggest game of the year, not the title sponsor. The title game this season is in Indianapolis.