NCAA Football

Where do the college football bowl game names originate?

Here's how these bowl games get their unique names.

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College football bowl game season is upon us.

The top football teams and their rowdy fans are revving up to display their school pride and vie for the coveted College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy.

College football bowl games boast some of the most intriguing names, sparking curiosity about their origins and creators among fans.

Before the action kicks off, let’s dive into where these names originate and more background information on their locations:

Where do the college football bowl game names originate?

Many times, bowl games are named after their geographic locations. For instance, the Rose Bowl is named after the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California.

Certain bowl games have names that are linked to tradition or historical significance. The Sugar Bowl and the Cotton Bowl are examples where the names are associated with regional products or historical agricultural roots.

A few bowl games have names that reflect particular themes or concepts, such as the Citrus Bowl or the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

Lastly, many bowl games are named after corporate sponsors which provide a significant source of funding for the showdown. Examples include the Capital One Orange Bowl or the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

What is the 2024-2025 college football bowl game schedule?

The schedule is as follows:

DateTime (ET)Bowl GameLocation
Dec. 14, 2024 (Saturday)12 p.m.Cricket Celebration BowlMercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, GA
Dec. 14, 2024 (Saturday)9 p.m.IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl BowlCramton Bowl
Montgomery, AL
Dec. 17, 2024 (Tuesday)9 p.m.Scooter's Coffee Frisco BowlToyota Stadium
Frisco, TX
Dec. 18, 2024 (Wednesday)5 p.m.Boca Raton BowlFAU Stadium
Boca Raton, FL
Dec. 18, 2024 (Wednesday)9 p.m.La Bowl Hosted By GronkSoFi Stadium
Inglewood, CA
Dec. 19, 2024 (Thursday)7 p.m.R+L Carriers New Orleans BowlCaesars Superdome
New Orleans, LA
Dec. 20, 2024 (Friday)12 p.m.Staffdna Cure BowlCamping World Stadium
Orlando, FL
Dec. 20, 2024 (Friday)3:30 p.m.Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla BowlRaymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
Dec. 20, 2024 (Friday)8 p.m.CFP First Round GameTBD - Hosted by Higher Seeded Team
Dec. 21, 2024 (Saturday)12 p.m.CFP First Round GameTBD - Hosted by Higher Seeded Team
Dec. 21, 2024 (Saturday)4 p.m.CFP First Round GameTBD - Hosted by Higher Seeded Team
Dec. 21, 2024 (Saturday)8 p.m.CFP First Round GameTBD - Hosted by Higher Seeded Team
Dec. 23, 2024 (Monday)11 p.m.Myrtle Beach BowlBrooks Stadium
Conway, SC
Dec. 23, 2024 (Monday)2 p.m.Famous Idaho Potato BowlAlbertsons Stadium
Boise, ID
Dec. 24, 2024 (Tuesday)8 p.m.Hawai'i BowlClarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex
Honolulu, HI
Dec. 26, 2024 (Thursday)2 p.m.GameAbove Sports BowlFord Field
Detroit, MI
Dec. 26, 2024 (Thursday)5 p.m.Rate BowlChase Field
Phoenix, AZ
Dec. 26, 2024 (Thursday)9 p.m.68 Ventures BowlHancock Whitney Stadium
Mobile, AL
Dec. 27, 2024 (Friday)12 or 3:30 p.m.Lockheed Martin Armed Forces BowlAmon G. Carter Stadium
Fort Worth, TX
Dec. 27, 2024 (Friday)12:00 or 3:30 PMBirmingham BowlProtective Stadium
Birmingham, AL
Dec. 27, 2024 (Friday)7 p.m.Autozone Liberty BowlSimmons Bank Liberty Stadium
Memphis, TN
Dec. 27, 2024 (Friday)8 p.m.Autozone Liberty BowlSnapdragon Stadium
San Diego, CA
Dec. 27, 2024 (Friday)10 p.m.SRS Distribution Las Vegas BowlAllegiant Stadium
Las Vegas, NV
Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday)11 p.m.Wasabi Fenway BowlFenway Park
Boston, MA
Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday)12 p.m.Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe BowlYankee Stadium
Bronx, NY
Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday)2 p.m.Isleta New Mexico BowlUniversity Stadium
Albuquerque, NM
Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday)3:30 p.m.Pop-Tarts BowlCamping World Stadium
Orlando, FL
Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday)4:30 p.m.Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Presented By Gin & Juice By Dre And SnoopArizona Stadium
Tucson, AZ
Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday)5:45 p.m.Go Bowling Military BowlNavy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Annapolis, MD
Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday)7:30 p.m.Valero Alamo BowlAlamodome
San Antonio, TX
Dec. 28, 2024 (Saturday)9:15 p.m.Radiance Technologies Independence BowlIndependence Stadium
Shreveport, LA
Dec. 30, 2024 (Monday)2:30 p.m.TransPerfect Music City BowlNissan Stadium
Nashville, TN
Dec. 31, 2024 (Tuesday)12 p.m.Reliaquest BowlRaymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
Dec. 31, 2024 (Tuesday)2 p.m.Tony the Tiger Sun BowlSun Bowl Stadium
El Paso, TX
Dec. 31, 2024 (Tuesday)3 p.m.Cheez-It Citrus BowlCamping World Stadium
Orlando, FL
Dec. 31, 2024 (Tuesday)3:30 p.m.Texas BowlNRG Stadium
Houston, TX
Dec. 31, 2024 (Tuesday)7:30 p.m.Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal)State Farm Stadium
Glendale, AZ
Jan. 1, 2025 (Wednesday)1 p.m.Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal)Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, GA
Jan. 1, 2025 (Wednesday)5 p.m.Rose Bowl Game Presented By Prudential (CFP Quarterfinal)Rose Bowl Stadium
Pasadena, CA
Jan. 1, 2025 (Wednesday)8:45 p.m.Allstate Sugar Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal)Caesars Superdome
New Orleans, LA
Jan. 2, 2025 (Thursday)7:30 p.m.TaxSlayer Gator Bowl EverBank Stadium
Jacksonville, FL
Jan. 3, 2025 (Friday)4 p.m.SERVPRO First Responder BowlGerald J. Ford Stadium
Dallas, TX
Jan. 3, 2025 (Friday)7:30 p.m.Duke's Mayo BowlBank of America Stadium
Charlotte, NC
Jan. 4, 2025 (Saturday)11 p.m.Bahamas BowlThomas A. Robinson National Stadium
Nassau, Bahamas
Jan. 9, 2025 (Thursday)7:30 p.m.Capital One Orange Bowl (CFP Semifinal)Hard Rock Stadium
Miami, FL
Jan. 10, 2025 (Friday)7:30 p.m.Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (CFP Semifinal)AT&T Stadium
Arlington, TX
Jan. 20, 2025 (Monday)7:30 p.m.College Football Playoff National ChampionshipMercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, GA
Jan. 30, 2025 (Thursday)8 p.m.East-West Shrine BowlAT&T Stadium
Arlington, TX
Feb. 1, 2025 (Saturday)2:30 p.m.Reese's Senior BowlHancock Whitney Stadium
Mobile, AL

What was the first college football bowl game?

The Rose Bowl was the first and only bowl game in 1930.

A decade later, there were five other major college bowl games: the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Cotton Bowl Classic, the Orange Bowl and the Sun Bowl. 

In 1950, the number of games continued to steadily increase yearly.

In the 2024-25 season, 44 college football bowl games will be played with the national championship game taking place on Jan. 20, 2025.

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