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2010-2011 Bowl Schedule: Ranking Bowls by the Swag They Give Players
December 7, 20102010-2011 Bowl Schedule: Ranking Bowls by the Swag They Give Players
Bowl Games 2010 are here, and I've already written a few articles about the bowls themselves.
So let's do something a little different.
It's time to talk swag. Not pretty boy swag. Sorry, Soulja Boy, but that song's a disgrace.
The NCAA allows all the bowls to give players a goodie bag worth up to $500, while the schools and conferences can shell out goodie bags worth up to $350 each as well.
That's what we mean by "swag."
So we're here to take a look at what bowls give out the best gifts.
Ah, the perks of college football!
Note: Shout-out to soxanddawgs.com for providing the necessary info to compile this slideshow.
35-21: Be Thankful for What You Get
35. New Mexico Bowl (BYU vs. UTEP): There's a reason this is the first bowl game. One of the gifts is a "pen with box."
34. Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (Hawaii vs. Tulsa): A big part of the gift package centers around surfing accessories. Is there an ocean near Tulsa that I don't know about?
33. New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Syracuse vs. Kansas State): Didn't disclose the gift package. Now, we all know that a bowl played in Yankee Stadium should dish out an overly expensive prize package.
32. TicketCity Bowl (Northwestern vs. Texas Tech): A gift suite and watch go to these two teams. Maybe the Red Raiders can turn back time and get Michael Crabtree back.
31. Humanitarian Bowl (Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State): All I know is that the players will get a Sony gift suite and some warm clothes. It's cold in Illinois, and Sony makes some pretty cool things, so I guess that works.
30. Las Vegas Bowl (Utah vs. Boise State): Tough luck for the Broncos. They miss out on the BCS, and all they get is a gift suite.
29. Independence Bowl (Air Force vs. Georgia Tech): The gift suite strikes again! At least the Falcons and Yellow Jackets get hats too.
28. Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (Florida International vs. Toledo): We need these schools to be more specific about what a "gift suite" entails.
27. New Orleans Bowl (Ohio vs. Troy): They get an Apple iPod Touch. I thought people only used iPhones these days.
26. BBVA Compass Bowl (Pittsburgh vs. Kentucky): They get a ton of Oakley stuff, including "Fuel Cell" sunglasses. Those sound pretty interesting.
25. GoDaddy.com Bowl (Middle Tennessee vs. Miami (OH)): A touchscreen Nikon camera will help these guys remember this game, because no one else will.
24. Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (Nevada vs. Boston College): Noise-cancelling headphones. Didn't Drew Brees' son make those things famous?
23. Meineke Car Care Bowl (Clemson vs. South Florida): Terms were not disclosed. Give these men some tires!
22. Music City Bowl (North Carolina vs. Tennessee): These two teams get a ton of electronics, including an iPod Shuffle. Just keep the agents away.
21. Texas Bowl (Illinois vs. Baylor): An Apple iPod Touch and a watch. Welcome to your first bowl game in quite some time, Baylor.
20. Gator Bowl: Mississippi State Vs. Michigan
The Swag: Fossil watch, Oakley sunglasses, leather duffel bag, Jostens ring, commemorative football
A watch and sunglasses?
You can buy that during a trip to the mall for less than a hundred bucks.
Plus, a watch can't time Denard Robinson. You need a stopwatch for that.
19. Outback Bowl: Florida Vs. Penn State
The Swag: $150 Best Buy gift card, Fossil watch, cap, Jostens ring, $25 Outback Steakhouse gift certificate
This is good for one meal at Outback and like two-and-a-half Xbox 360 games at Best Buy.
Couldn't Outback up that gift card a little bit? Joe Paterno looks hungry!
18. Hyundai Sun Bowl: Miami Vs. Notre Dame
The Swag: Gift Suite, Timely Watch Co. watch, Majestic fleece pullover, Top of the World Cap, Ogio Politan backpack, Helen of Troy hair dryer, souvenir coin
A hair dryer named after a mythological woman to a group of 20-year-old kids?
Someone doesn't know their audience.
Maybe Brian Kelly will use it. Who knows?
17. Military Bowl: East Carolina Vs. Maryland
The Swag: Sony Dash, Altec Lansing inMotion portable speaker, beanie, cap, duffel bag, tailgate blanket
I'm not sure what a Sony Dash is, but it sounds like it has potential.
So does a portable speaker.
Good thing there's no military team in the bowl game, though. Would they even be able to use that stuff?
16. Armed Forces Bowl: Army Vs. SMU
The Swag: Sony gift suite, Timely Watch Co., Ogio All Terrain duffel bag, commemorative football
Give the men from Army something incredible in that Sony gift suite.
They deserve it.
15. Insight Bowl: Missouri Vs. Iowa
The Swag: Sony gift suite, Tourneau watch, cap, Ogio Cooper backpack
Nothing you give these teams will make up for the fact that they could be playing in a better bowl game.
Missouri got the shaft, and Iowa stunk it up big-time at the end of the season.
14. Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg: Louisville Vs. Southern Miss
The Swag: Microsoft Xbox 360 4GB, Oakley Fuel Cell sunglasses, Oakley Panel backpack, mini-helmet
You can't go wrong with an XBox 360.
Who wouldn't want to get that gaming system and then play as himself on NCAA 11?
I know I would.
By the way, she does have a Louisville Cardinal sticker on her face in case you think I pulled that picture out of nowhere for other reasons.
13. AutoZone Liberty Bowl: UCF Vs. Georgia
The Swag: Apple iPod nano 6th generation 8 GB, Fossil watch, Nike training shoes, Nike sport sandals, Nike sunglasses, Nike Air Jordan backpack, commemorative football
This is the perfect combination of electronic gadgets and athletic gear.
It's also a decent consolation prize for Georgia, who had a pretty disappointing season.
Nike gear + iPod nano + Aaron Murray = future success.
12. Valero Alamo Bowl: Arizona Vs. Oklahoma State
The Swag: Microsoft Xbox 360 with Kinect, $20 GameStop gift card, Kicker 541 headphones, Apple iPod shuffle
Arizona has lost four straight games, and Oklahoma State probably stopped caring about its season when it missed out on the BCS.
They'll take anything they can get at this point.
11. Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego State Vs. Navy
The Swag: Best Buy gift card, Fossil watch, hooded sweatshirt, cap
We don't know how much the gift card is worth, but any amount will do.
San Diego State's program has rebounded from years of irrelevance to take on a pretty good Navy team.
10. Chick-fil-A Bowl: Florida State Vs. South Carolina
The Swag: $250 Best Buy gift card, Fossil watch, Russell Athletic knit cap, Russell Athletic travel bag, commemorative football, Chick-fil-A gift card
That Best Buy gift card can buy plenty of things, but I'm not sure it's enough to buy a defense that can stop teams with running quarterbacks.
Oh well, the Gamecocks and Seminoles can drown their sorrows in some artery-clogging food from Chick-fil-A.
9. AT&T Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M Vs. LSU
The Swag: would not disclose
The Cotton Bowl is one of the bigger games outside of the BCS, so you know they'll get some pretty nice gifts in this one.
I sure hope we hear Les Miles talk about the gift give-out at some point.
Anytime he talks, the potential for something great happening is always lurking.
8. Holiday Bowl: Nebraska Vs. Washington
The Swag: Best Buy gift card, Fossil watch, hooded sweatshirt, cap
Is there any chance that Best Buy sells improved draft stock?
Jake Locker could surely use some of that right about now.
7. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma Vs. UConn
The Swag: Gift suite, Fossil watch, cap, Ogio Cooper backpack
There's that "gift suite" term again—it is ridiculously ambiguous.
If it were me, though, I'd push for Tostitos to give away a lifetime supply of chips and selected dips.
UConn could use it as comfort food just in case Oklahoma takes the Huskies to the woodshed.
6. Rose Bowl Game: Wisconsin Vs. TCU
The Swag: Gift suite, Fossil watch, Oakley cap, Oakley Bugeye backpack
Nothing will satisfy the Horned Frogs—they want to play for a BCS national championship.
Same goes for the Badgers.
At least these teams get to play in a big game on top of getting a mystery "gift suite."
God, I really want to know what that thing entails.
5. Discover Orange Bowl: Stanford Vs. Virginia Tech
The Swag: Gift suite, Tourneau watch, New Era cap
Stanford's only loss is to Oregon, and Virginia Tech has won 11 straight games.
If two teams deserve one hell of a prize package right now, it's them.
On a side note, I can't wait to see this game.
4. Allstate Sugar Bowl: Arkansas Vs. Ohio State
The Swag: Sleek Audio custom earphones, gift suite, Reactor Meltdown watch, New Era cap
I went to LSU, and a friend of mine who was on their 2007 Sugar Bowl team (but never saw the field) said the teams were rewarded handsomely.
It'll happen again this year, although Ryan Mallett and Terrelle Pryor will be making enough money in the near future for it not to matter much to them.
3. Tostitos BCS National Championship: Auburn Vs. Oregon
The Swag: Gift suite, Fossil watch, cap, Ogio Cooper backpack
This game features the two best teams and the two best players—Cam Newton and LaMichael James—in the nation.
Only the best gifts should be given here.
Just make sure one of them isn't a laptop. That could be dangerous around Cam Newton.
Sorry—that might have been a low blow, huh?
2. Champs Sports Bowl: West Virginia Vs. North Carolina State
The Swag: $420 shopping spree at local Best Buy, Timely Watch Co.
Damn, that's not bad for a bowl game that doesn't have the reputation of others ranked lower on this list.
That probably isn't much of a consolation prize for West Virginia though.
The Mountaineers will sit at home while UConn plays in a BCS bowl game.
1. Capital One Bowl: Alabama Vs. Michigan State
The Swag: $420 shopping spree at local Best Buy, Timely Watch Co.
It's only fitting that one of the most highly-anticipated non-BCS bowl games has one very nice gift package.
Maybe Mark Ingram, Julio Jones and Marcel Dareus would be willing to donate their gift cards to someone who won't be making millions next year.