The first Rose Bowl game was played in 1902 when Michigan defeated Stanford by a score of 49-0.  Technically, that would make the first college football bowl game sponsor the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, but for years it was simply called the Rose Bowl.

It was not called the Carnegie Steel Company Rose Bowl or the Rose Bowl presented by Oldsmobile, it was just the Rose Bowl.

In the 1930s the Rose Bowl was joined by the Orange Bowl (1935), Sugar Bowl (1935), Sun Bowl (1935), and Cotton Bowl (1937). The Gator Bowl was added to the mix in 1946.

The names were simple.  The sponsors quiet.

This year there are 44 bowl games including the Tailgreeter Cure Bowl, the Wasabi Fenway Bowl, and the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl.

A look at the other bowl games, some thoughts, and the ridiculousness of it all.

• I’m torn whether to watch the Myrtle Beach Bowl presented by TaxAct, the TaxAct Camillia Bowl, or the TaxAct Texas Bowl. Sounds like we are being overtaxed.
• Do the teams that play in the VRBO Citrus Bowl stay in a hotel?
• I don’t know who is playing in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl but the Boilermakers should be invited.
• If you attend the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl you may need to follow that up with the Lending Tree Bowl.
• What are the chances that Memphis flies the 12 hours to Honolulu to take on Hawai’i in the EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl and yet, are considered the home team?
• It’s fitting that Army was named to the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl to take on Missouri, but the only Armed Forces in Missouri are based on soft gun laws.
• Remember when we thought the name Famous Idaho Potato Bowl was embarrassing to the sport. Now it’s not even in the top ten.
• If the Quick Lane Bowl was named the Quick Bowl Lane, the game would be more high scoring and be over after just a few frames.
• In order to write the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl on the field, they may need to increase the yardage.
• How does Wisconsin not play in the Cheez-It Bowl?
• Are Notre Dame and Oklahoma State really competing in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, or is this an eSports thing?
• If the Rose Bowl is now called the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One Venture X, does it still smell as sweet?
• Oregon faces Oklahoma in the Valero Alamo Bowl. But if you are really trying to remember the Alamo it should probably be New Mexico vs Texas.
• If the Alamo Bowl wanted a real battle, I would love to see a winner take all between the Miami Hurricanes and Miami (OH). Loser goes away for good to avoid further confusion.
• I’m not sure the Transperfect Music City Bowl intended to support the LGBTQ community, but it’s all good.
• Washington State (7-5) takes on Miami (7-5) in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. That match-up is not so Grrrrr-eat!
• Shouldn’t the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl be played in a stadium with a roof?
• In a world still recovering from COVID-19, I’m not sure the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl is appropriately named. If you’re a carrier, should you really be attending a football game?
• Did you hear the rumors that the Duke’s Mayo Bowl couldn’t find any clubs…
• Can I get a plain bagel with cream cheese, a large coffee with cream, and a Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco Bowl to go?
• The Bahamas Bowl sounds like a great time, but how about the University of Colorado vs UC Santa Cruz in the Jamaican Smoka Bowl.
• Finally, I would generally laugh at the absurdity of the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl presented by Stifel, but I don’t think Kimmel is that funny. I’m more of a Jimmy Fallon guy.

Images via usatoday.com, mountainwestconnection.com, win.gg.com, Wisconsinpublicradio.com, wltx.com, goodhousekeeping.com

Alan Tapley The Athletic Supporter

Alan Tapley is an educator, author, and blogger who has lived just outside of Boulder for the last twenty years.  His published work includes two novels, two children’s books, a series of cartoons in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and multiple sports related articles. His love for family and the state of Colorado is only matched by one thing, his passion for sports.  The first baseball game he ever attended was at Wrigley Field, before there were lights.  At the final Bronco game at the old Mile High, he allegedly cut out a piece of his seat in the South stands.  But regardless of being here for the Avalanche’s last Stanley Cup, the Rockies only World Series appearance, and all the Broncos’ Super Bowl Victories, his wife never fails to remind him that he wasn’t at the University of Colorado in 1990, like she was.  The year the Buffs football team won the National Championship