Welcome to yet another year of the Owljock Bowl Board, our yearly compilation of holiday college football games played in various settings and sponsored by companies willing to risk humiliation just to get their names before the public. It also helps to determine a national champion, sort of.
There are, by our count, 44 scheduled bowl games this year. Last year, if you recall, half of the games were canceled because of the COVID-19 virus. The others were either relocated or played in stadiums with few or no fans. New bowls will make their first appearances in Los Angeles and Boston. One is named for a celebrity (which used to happen with golf tournaments), and the other is being played at Fenway Park.
The College Football Playoff's final four is Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and Cincinnati. The Crimson Tide is considered the favorite, as they are most years. Georgia was merely a placeholder at the top of the rankings for most of the season before Alabama beat the Bulldogs for the SEC championship. Michigan is here instead of TOSU (The Ohio State University). They're still considered the Big Two when anyone outside the Midwest thinks of Big Ten Plus football. As for Cincinnati, all the Bearcats have proved is that a non-Power Five school can make it to the big time. Let's see if they're more than a novelty act.
This is how the Bowl Board works. In addition to the name of the bowl, who's playing, where is it and who's televising (mostly ESPN), we give you a brief description of what the sponsoring company does for a living. Barring COVID-related cancellations and players sitting out to make themselves look good for the NFL draft, these games should proceed on schedule. So here goes.
December 17, 2021
Bahamas Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs. Toledo (Nassau, Bahamas) ESPN
Tailgreeter Cure Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina (Orlando, FL) ESPN2
Tailgating event planner meets breast cancer awareness.
December 18
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Appalachian State (Boca Raton, FL) ESPN
Roofing repairs.
Cricket Celebration Bowl: South Carolina State vs. Jackson State (Atlanta, GA) ABC
AT&T-owned wireless provider.
PUBG Mobile New Mexico Bowl: Texas-El Paso vs. Fresno State (Albuquerque, NM) ESPN
Mobile games
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: Alabama-Birmingham vs. Brigham Young (Shreveport, LA) ABC
Intelligence and defense contractor.
Lending Tree Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty (Mobile, AL) ESPN
Online mortgage lender.
Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl presented by Stifel: Utah State vs. Oregon State (Los Angeles, CA) ABC
Late night talk show host and brokerage-investment banking firm.
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana vs. Marshall (New Orleans, LA) ESPN
Freight shipping and logistics.
December 20
Myrtle Beach Bowl Presented by Tax Act: Old Dominion vs. Tulsa (Conway, SC) ESPN
Online tax preparer.
December 21
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Kent State vs. Wyoming (Boise, ID) ESPN
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl: Texas-San Antonio vs. San Diego State (Frisco, TX) ESPN
Restaurant franchise.
December 22
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Missouri vs. Army (Fort Worth, TX) ESPN
Defense contractor
December 23
Frisco Football Classic: North Texas vs. Miami-Ohio (Frisco, TX) ESPN
United Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl: Central Florida vs. Florida (Tampa, FL) ESPN
Home mortgage lender.
December 24
EasyPost Hawaii Bowl: Memphis vs. Hawaii (Honolulu, HW) ESPN
E-commerce online shipper
December 25
TaxAct Camellia Bowl: Georgia State vs. Ball State (Montgomery, AL) ESPN
See Myrtle Beach Bowl.
December 27
Quick Lane Bowl: Western Michigan vs. Nevada (Detroit, MI) ESPN
Auto service shops.
Military Bowl presented by Peraton: Boston College vs. East Carolina (Annapolis, MD) ESPN
Government security contractor.
December 28
TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl: Houston vs. Auburn (Birmingham, AL) ESPN
Online ticket broker.
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: Air Force vs. Louisville (University Park, TX) ESPN
Disaster restoration services.
AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech (Memphis, TN) ESPN
Auto supply stores.
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl: UCLA vs. North Carolina State (San Diego, CA) Fox
Southern California financial services.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: West Virginia vs. Minnesota (Phoenix, AZ) ESPN
Home mortgage lender.
December 29
Wasabi Fenway Bowl: Southern Methodist vs. Virginia (Boston, MA) ESPN
Cloud storage for business. Played at Fenway Park.
New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Maryland vs. Virginia Tech (Bronx, NY) ESPN
Sports apparel manufacturer. Played at Yankee Stadium.
Cheez-It Bowl: Clemson vs. Iowa State (Orlando, FL) ESPN
Cheese crackers.
Valero Alamo Bowl: Oregon vs. Oklahoma (San Antonio, TX) ESPN
Energy company.
December 30
Duke's Mayo Bowl: North Carolina vs. South Carolina (Charlotte, NC) ESPN
South Carolina-based condiment.
TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Tennessee vs. Purdue (Nashville, TN) ESPN
Translation services.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: Michigan State vs. Pittsburgh (Atlanta, GA) ESPN
National chicken restaurant chain.
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Arizona State (Las Vegas, NV) ESPN
Building products distributor.
December 31
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Texas A&M (Jacksonville, FL) ESPN
Online tax preparer.
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Washington State vs. Miami (El Paso, TX) CBS
Kellogg's Frosted Flakes.
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl: Central Michigan vs. Boise State (Tucson, AZ) Barstool Sports.com
Sports website.
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, College Football Playoff Semifinal: Cincinnati vs. Alabama (Arlington, TX) ESPN
Tires and blimps.
Capital One Orange Bowl, College Football Playoff Semifinal: Georgia vs. Michigan (Miami Gardens, FL) ESPN
Financial services.
January 1, 2022
Outback Bowl: Penn State vs. Arkansas (Tampa, FL) ESPN2
Steak and seafood restaurant chain.
Vrbo Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Kentucky (Orlando, FL) ABC
Vacation home rentals.
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State (Glendale, AZ) ESPN
Video game manufacturer.
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Capital One Venture X: Ohio State vs. Utah (Pasadena, CA) ESPN
Financial services promoting new credit card.
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Mississippi vs. Baylor (New Orleans, LA) ESPN
Insurance and financial services.
January 4
TaxAct Texas Bowl: Louisiana State vs. Kansas State (Houston, TX) ESPN
Online tax preparer.
January 10
CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T: Teams to be announced (Indianapolis, IN) ESPN
Communications giant.
UPDATE (12/26/21): The Military, Fenway and Hawaii Bowls have all been sacked due to COVID. Texas A&M was replaced by Rutgers to face Wake Forest in the Gator Bowl. More to come?
UPDATE (12/30/21): Wait, there's more. The Arizona and Holiday Bowls have been canceled and Miami (FL) has begged off of the Sun Bowl. But that game will continue because Central Michigan (who was supposed to play Boise State in Arizona) has become the last minute opponent for Washington State in El Paso.
