Bowl Games 2011: 5 Games That Desperately Need To Change Names

One of the most annoying things about the college football bowl season is having to hear all of these ridiculous bowl names. Obviously the sponsors want to get their names out to the public as much as possible, but some of the names have gotten entirely ridiculous.

And call me crazy, but I think that the focus of the bowls should be about the football being played and not who donated what to whom.

Here are the five most ridiculous college football bowl names.

Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl

Not sure what Bridgeport Education is? Here is what the official website says.

"

Bridgepoint Education was founded on the principle that those who are academically prepared deserve access to an affordable higher education without sacrificing quality, transferability of credits, accessibility and academic standards. A leading provider of postsecondary education services, Bridgepoint Education is dedicated to those seeking flexible, high-quality choices in higher education.

"

So essentially it’s an online college with two locations where you can go, sit down and meet a professor. Considering the bowl is about college football, I’m not sure if they’re targeting the right audience.

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl

Taxslayer.com? Really?

For fans, college football is supposed to be a vacation from the pains of everyday life and not a reminder that you have to do your taxes. And it is also a pain to actually say.

Military Bowl, Presented by Northrop Grumman

The Military Bowl is fine, but it’s that last part that is really ridiculous. Not only is Northrop Grumman a mouthful to say, but the company is an engineering firm. They aren’t going to be getting any new sales out of putting their name on a college football bowl game.

Maybe, just maybe, one graduating senior will choose to work there because of this, but as an engineer myself, the company is well-known and respected by students already.

And the whole “presented by” thing really irks me. Just call it the Northrop Grumman Military Bowl if you absolutely have to sponsor it.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Did you know that Idaho is famous for potatoes? Of course you do; there is absolutely nothing else the state can hang its hat on. And considering that one of America’s favorite foods is French fries, there is really no publicity needed. Famous is already in the name!

Instead of spending money to sponsor a bowl, give more money back to the farmers because they could certainly use it.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl

If Kraft wanted to sponsor a bowl, great. If a bowl wants to help fight hunger, also great. But combining the two seems like a desperate and pretty pathetic attempt to tie Kraft to a good cause.

It really does deserve Illinois and 6-7 UCLA—two teams who have fired their head coaches—to play in it just based on the name.