Breaking down the top 5
It’s a magical time of the year, boys and girls, so let’s have ourselves one heck of a bowl season. It’s also swag bag season where bowl games provide these student-athletes with free stuff. Pretty cool.
It’s time for college football talkers to quiet down for about players not being compensated despite their labor for the universities they represent. You make us millions of dollars every fall, and we’ll give you headphones if your team plays well enough. Seems reasonable.
Sometimes these lead to humorous stories like the Arkansas guy a few years ago who stole from the Belk store after a shopping spree provided by the Belk Bowl. Best free advertising Belk could have ever received.
Here are the top five bowl game swag bags heading into bowl season. Shoutout to Sports Business Daily for putting these together because these would have taken a long time to find.
1. Capital One Orange Bowl
Alabama vs. Oklahoma
Gift suite, Tourneau watch, personalized bobblehead of each student-athlete, sling bag.
Bobbleheads of EVERY player. Incredible. Well done, Orange Bowl. I say this knowing full well the bobbleheads will look absolutely nothing like the player, but I very much value personalized creativity in a swag bag. Huge fan of the Orange Bowl putting a little extra effort into its game. It goes a long way.
2. Quick Lane Bowl
Minnesota vs. Georgia Tech
$175 Best Buy gift card, JBL E55BT over-ear wireless headphones, life-sized Fathead decal for each participant of his likeness, backpack, shirts, mini helmet, football.
Absolutely love the personalized life-sized Fathead for each participant. I wonder what a Fathead of myself would look like. Before anyone makes the joke, I’ll get out in front of this one. I know I have the roundest head in the sports media. There. Let’s move on. But it would probably either be me with disgusted look after a series of gambling losses or maybe struggling to turn off the cameras on Deceptive Speed Live. We can workshop this, but it definitely would not involve me moving because that’s just not my thing.
3. Valero Alamo Bowl
Iowa State vs. Washington State
$425 Amazon gift card, Fossil watch, mini helmet, team panoramic photo
As much as I do appreciate the creativity of the top two choices, I also respect a bowl that just lets the people decide what they want. One of the best gifts a person can get during the holidays is just some cold hard cash or a gift card to buy pretty much anything. You may be contributing to Amazon’s eventual takeover of the world, but in the meantime you’re getting $425 worth of free stuff.
4. PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
LSU vs. UCF
PS4 gift package, Fossil watch with engraved caseback, Ogio X-Fit backpack.
PS4 gift package includes a PS4 console, controller and games. You know what you’re getting when you play in a bowl game sponsored by PlayStation. Sometimes life is about keeping it simple. PlayStation did just that. Respect it.
5. Camping World Bowl
West Virginia vs. Syracuse
5. VRBO Citrus Bowl
Kentucky vs. Penn State
$400 Best Buy gift card, Ogio backpack with luggage tag, Fossil watch.
Both of these bowls are giving away the exact same thing, so it’s a tie for the final spot. For me, the $400 Best Buy gift card essentially turns into a free TV. Shoutout to the VRBO Citrus Bowl and Camping World Bowl for cracking the top five.
THE WORST
Cheez-It Bowl
California vs. TCU
Fossil watch with engraved caseback, JBL Charge 3 Bluetooth speaker, Baggo bag toss tailgate cornhole set, Yeti Roadie 20 cooler, Yeti rambler, dry duffel bag, RuMe reveal quart bag, Branded Bills cap, Dollar Shave Club starter set.
A fine list of items, but HOW does the Cheez-It Bowl not provide a single box of Cheez-Its, which is right up there with the greatest snacks we have ever created on Earth? Just an incredible mistake in judgement. I’m going to watch this game throwing down box after box of Cheez-Its, but it will be done because I have to. Not because I want to. I’m not mad, Cheez-It Bowl. Just VERY disappointed.
Incredible photo courtesy of UWBadgers.com
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