The 2017-18 Owljock Bowl Board

Welcome to yet another edition of the Bowl Board to wind up the college football season.  Before we go too much further, a few thoughts:

• Clemson, Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma are this year's College Football Playoff final four, assuring us of another national champion from below the Mason-Dixon Line.  No Big 10 or Pac-12 school made the cut, which certainly limits the potential TV audience.  Alabama is here not because they won a conference championship game (heck, they didn't PLAY in one), but because of its past reputation.  Yet coach Nick Saban's team is still considered the favorite.
• There is a new phenomenon going on among certain players who believe they'd be a lot more marketable if, instead of playing in a bowl game with their teammates, they saved themselves for the NFL draft.  We get that these players don't want to get injured or have a bad game in front of fans and pro scouts, but isn't limiting your exposure kind of risky?  And what does that tell you about the quality of the bowl game itself (unless it's a CFP playoff) if star players keep checking out?
• There are 41 bowl games that have been sanctioned by the NCAA this season, which is down two from last year.  Sponsors come and go, of course.  The Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego has been dropped by its organizers, and the Miami Beach Bowl was bought by ESPN (which owns several bowl games) and moved to Frisco, Texas.

For those of you just joining us, here's how the Bowl Board works.  We name the bowl, who's in it, where and when it's played, who's televising it, and a brief description of the game's sponsor and what they do (where applicable).  Got it?  Here goes . . .

Celebration Bowl:  Grambling vs. North Carolina A&T (Atlanta, 12/16)  ABC

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:  Troy vs. North Texas  (New Orleans, 12/16)  ESPN
Shipping firm.

AutoNation Cure Bowl:  Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State  (Orlando, FL  12/16)  CBS Sports Network
Automotive retailer.

Las Vegas Bowl:  Boise State vs. Oregon  (Las Vegas, 12/16)  ABC

Gildan New Mexico Bowl:  Marshall vs. Colorado State  (Albuquerque, NM  12/16)  ESPN
Active wear manufacturer.

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl:  Arkansas State vs. Middle Tennessee  (Montgomery, AL  12/16)  ESPN
Media company.

Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl:  Florida Atlantic vs. Akron  (Boca Raton, FL  12/19)  ESPN
Energy drink.

DXL Frisco Bowl:  Southern Methodist vs. Louisiana Tech  (Frisco, TX  12/20)  ESPN
Big and tall men's clothing store chain.  Formerly Miami Beach Bowl.

Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl:  Temple vs. Florida International  (St. Petersburg, FL  12/21)  ESPN
Lawn mowers.  Formerly St. Petersburg Bowl.  Gasparilla refers to a local festival held in the winter, named for famed pirate Jose Gasper.

Bahamas Bowl:  Alabama-Birmingham vs. Ohio  (Nassau, Bahamas  12/22)  ESPN

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:  Central Michigan vs. Wyoming  (Boise, ID  12/22)  ESPN

Birmingham Bowl:  Texas Tech vs. South Florida  (Birmingham, AL  12/23)  ESPN

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl:  San Diego State vs. Army  (Fort Worth, TX  12/23)  ESPN
Defense contractor.

Dollar General Bowl:  Appalachian State vs. Toledo  (Mobile, AL  12/23)  ESPN
Retail chain.

Hawaii Bowl:  Fresno State vs. Houston  (Honolulu, HW  12/24)  ESPN

Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl:  Utah vs. West Virginia  (Dallas, 12/26)  ESPN
Chicken restaurant chain.

Quick Lane Bowl:  Duke vs. Northern Illinois  (Detroit, 12/26)  ESPN
Auto care shops.

Cactus Bowl:  Kansas State vs. UCLA  (Phoenix, AZ  12/26)  ESPN

Walk-On's Independence Bowl:  Southern Mississippi vs. Florida State  (Shreveport, LA  12/27)  ESPN
Sports restaurant chain.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl:  Iowa vs. Boston College  (Bronx, NY  12/27)  ESPN
Sports apparel.

Foster Farms Bowl:  Purdue vs. Arizona  (Santa Clara, CA  12/27)  Fox
West Coast poultry brand.
  
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl:   Texas vs. Missouri  (Houston, 12/27)  ESPN
Sporting goods discount chain.

Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman:  Virginia vs. Navy  (Annapolis, MD  12/28)  ESPN
Defense contractor.

Camping World Bowl:  Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State  (Orlando, FL  12/28)  ESPN
Camping and RV supplies.  Formerly Russell Athletic Bowl.

Valero Alamo Bowl:  Stanford vs. TCU  (San Antonio, TX  12/28)  ESPN
Energy company.

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl:  Michigan State vs. Washington State  (San Diego, CA  12/28)  FS1
Financial services.

Belk Bowl:  Wake Forest vs. Texas A&M  (Charlotte, NC  12/29)  ESPN
Regional department store chain.

Hyundai Sun Bowl:  North Carolina State vs. Arizona State  (El Paso, TX  12/29)  CBS
Auto manufacturer.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl:  Kentucky vs. Northwestern  (Nashville, TN  12/29)  ESPN
Financial services.

NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl:  Utah State vs. New Mexico State  (Tucson, AZ  12/29)  CBS Sports Network
Mortgage lender.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic:  Southern California vs. Ohio State  (Arlington, TX  12/29)  ESPN
Tires and blimps.

TaxSlayer Bowl:  Louisville vs. Mississippi State  (Jacksonville, FL  12/30)  ESPN
Online tax preparation.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl:  Iowa State vs. Memphis  (Memphis, TN  12/30)  ABC
Retail auto parts chain.

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl:  Washington vs. Penn State  (Glendale, AZ  12/30)  ESPN
Videogame consoles.

Capital One Orange Bowl:  Miami vs. Wisconsin  (Miami Gardens, FL  12/30)  ESPN
Financial services.

Outback Bowl:  Michigan vs. South Carolina  (Tampa, FL  1/1/18)  ESPN2
Steak restaurant chain.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl:  Central Florida vs. Auburn  (Atlanta, GA  1/1/18)  ESPN
Chicken restaurant chain.

Citrus Bowl Presented by Overton's:  Notre Dame vs.  Louisiana State  (Orlando, FL  1/1/18)  ABC
Marine and sporting goods company.

Rose Bowl Presented by Northwestern Mutual--CFP Semifinal:  Georgia vs. Oklahoma  (Pasadena, CA  1/1/18)  ESPN
Financial services.

Allstate Sugar Bowl--CFP Playoff:  Alabama vs. Clemson  (New Orleans  1/1/18)  ESPN
Insurance and financial services.

College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T  (Atlanta, GA  1/8)  ESPN
Communications giant.