Funniest Bowl Name Games in College Football

Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop (2024-Present)

In one of the newest additions to my list of funny college bowl games, the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop is sure to go down in history as one of the craziest.

Snoop Dogg has been everywhere over the past few years, including working as a special correspondent at the Olympics for NBC. So, it’s only fitting that a bowl game would be named after the famous rapper. If you can make it past the wacky naming rights, the Arizona Bowl actually debuted in 2015.

At the time, the Arizona Bowl’s sponsorship was much more subdued. Back then, it was known as the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl. In 2021, Barstool Sports took over the sponsorship from Offerpad. When Barstool Sports didn’t renew their deal, Snoop Dogg seized the opportunity.

Perhaps the wildest aspect of this bowl game is that a gin & juice company is the primary sponsor for an NCAA-sanctioned sporting event. In homage to Snoop Dogg’s 1993 hit “Gin and Juice,” Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop is a premium spirits drink from Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (2011-Present)

Formerly known as the Humanitarian Bowl, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is one of the oldest and weirdest bowl games still active. Played on Boise State University’s iconic blue “Smurf Turf,” it stands out as one of the most recognizable games during bowl season.

Though considered a lower-tier matchup between the Mountain West and the MAC, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl remains highly anticipated by fans and bettors alike. The game has delivered many entertaining contests over the years, with its sponsorship proving to be a perfect fit.

The name couldn’t be more fitting for a bowl game hosted in a state famous for its potatoes. Idaho produces about one-third of all potatoes in the United States. Simply put, there’s no better name for a game played at Boise State.

Still, it’s hard to deny that a football game named after potatoes doesn’t inspire a chuckle or two! Some believe it’s one of the worst bowl game names, but I personally love it.

Duke’s Mayo Bowl (2020-Present)

From bowl games named after Pop-Tarts, potatoes, and even mayonnaise! The Duke’s Mayo Bowl has been an annual college bowl game since the 2020 season, held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, taking over from the Belk Bowl.

Originally, the first game in 2002 was called the Continental Tire Bowl, a name it kept until 2024. From 2005 to 2010, Meineke Car Care Bowl held the naming rights, followed by Belk for nine years.

This mid-tier bowl matchup, featuring the ACC versus either the Big Ten or SEC, definitely stands out more as the Duke’s Mayo Bowl than it did under more generic names. In my view, the Duke’s Mayo Bowl sparks much more conversation than a blandly-named game like the Belk Bowl (no offense to Belk).

There is a connection between the game and the food condiment: the Duke’s Mayonnaise headquarters is about a two-hours drive from Charlotte in Mauldin, SC.

Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl (2023)

The Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl simply had to make my list of the funniest bowl game names. The Cure Bowl was introduced to the college football bowl circuit in 2015. Initially held at Camping World Stadium, the Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl was hosted at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Florida, in 2023.

The Cure Bowl hasn’t always had funny bowl game names. From 2015 to 2018, the game was known as the AutoNation Cure Bowl. Since then, several companies have taken turns being the title sponsor. FCB Mortgage, Tailgreeter, and the Duluth Trading Company have all sponsored the Cure Bowl.

In 2023, Avocados From Mexico was signed as the title sponsor for the Cure Bowl. No disrespect to the other companies, but the Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl is the best edition of this one!

The meaning behind the Cure Bowl is anything but a joke, though. Corporate leaders and philanthropists conceived the Cure Bowl to bring attention and raise money for breast cancer research. From 2015 to 2023, the Orlando Sports Foundation has donated over $4.1 million to the charitable cause.

Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl (2017)

The Boca Raton Bowl served up one of the best bowl game names in NCAAF College Bowl game history. In 2017, college football fans were treated to the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl.

The game was played between the Conference USA champion, Florida Atlantic University Owls, (FAU) and Akron Zips. The MAC East Division champion Zips opened up as 17-point underdogs for the game with heavy Owls’ money driving the point spread up to 22½.

In the end, the big line movement didn’t matter for the December 19, 2017, game as FAU hammered Akron, 50-3 at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton. The Owls scored seven TDs, while allowing just a Zips’ field goal. QB Jason Driskle was named Offensive MVP for the game.

Sponsored by the Cheribundi beverage company, it was the fourth edition of the Boca Raton Bowl. The company is based in Greenwich, Connecticut, specializing in tart cherry juice beverages known to be high in antioxidants and phytonutrients and ideal for athletes with benefits from joint inflammation and muscle fatigue.

Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (2017-2019)

The Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl is a great bowl game name, but the game has other funny names and history behind it as well. The first iteration of this encoutner was the St. Petersburg Bowl in 2008 and the game has always been played in the Tampa area.

In 2017, the bowl was renamed the Gasparilla Bowl after the mythical pirate Jose Gaspar, the inspiration behind Tampa’s Gasparilla Pirate Festival. From 2010 to 2013, this game was named the “Beef O’Brady’s Bowl”.

In 2008, this game was sponsored by magicJack and in 2014, it was sponsored by Bit Pay. Bad Boy Mowers sadly ended its sponsorship of this bowl game in 2019. We miss you Bad Boy.

Pop-Tarts Bowl (2023-Present)

Formally known as the Cheez-It Bowl, Kellogg’s changed things up for the 2023 bowl game. Instead of using the Cheez-It brand as the title sponsor, the Pop-Tarts brand was introduced for their Orlando-based college football bowl game.

Also known as the Blockbuster Bowl, Tangerine Bowl, and Russell Athletic Bowl in past years, the Pop-Tarts Bowl features a solid matchup between teams from the ACC and Big 12.

On December 28, 2023, the inaugural Pop-Tarts Bowl was played at Camping World Stadium. The name is still active in 2025, making one of the few funny bowl game names on my list that are still around.

Refrigerator Bowl (1948-1956)

Played in Evansville, Indiana, from 1948 to 1956, the Refrigerator Bowl has one of the best bowl names ever. Why Refrigerator? Because at that point in history, Evansville manufactured more refrigerators (3,800 units daily) than any other city.

Now, Evansville, Indiana, has a population of 115,395 people, doesn’t make as many refrigerators as it used to and has no major college bowl game being played there. Let’s all shed a sad “Winter is Coming” tear (that will freeze) for the Refrigerator Bowl.

The Refrigerator Bowl was won twice by the locals of Evansville (1948 and 1949) and also featured smaller colleges like Gustavus Adolphus, Camp Breckenridge, and College of Idaho.

Raisin Bowl (1946-1949)

Raisin Bran would have been the perfect sponsor for the Raisin Bowl, played in 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949 from Ratcliffe Stadium in Fresno, California. The games from 1946 to 1948 were played on New Year’s Eve with the 1949 game played on New Year’s Day.

Not to be confused with the California Raisin Bowl, also later staged in Fresno, the Raisin Bowl featured one team from California playing another at-large opponent. Teams from the Golden State won four of the five Raisin Bowls with San Jose State winning twice.

The only college from outside of the state of California to win the Raisin Bowl was Drake (Iowa) who edged Fresno State by one point in the inaugural Raisin Bowl, 13-12 in 1946.

Glass Bowl (1946-1949)

The Glass Bowl was played from 1946 through 1949, appropriately at the University of Toledo’s Glass Bowl in Toledo, Ohio. Why “Glass”, you ask? Because Toledo was a major hub for glass manufacturing.

A shipyard worker, Wayne Kohn, suggested to municipal workers that a “Glass Bowl” would be a good way to promote Toledo’s greatest export at the time and enhance the Ohio city’s image. And the Glass Bowl was born. Thanks, Wayne.

Toledo played in, and won the first three Glass Bowls, beating Bates, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma City, but the Rockets’ hopes of Glass Bowl perfection were shattered, like all glasses, when Cincinnati defeated them in the postseason affair in 1949 by a 33-13 score.

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl (2021-Present)

Like the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Sun Bowl also has a Kellogg’s product sponsor, the breakfast cereal we know and love called Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes. And we all know that lovable, “They’rrre Great!” mascot for the cereal, Tony the Tiger. Tony would make for a great linebacker.

In 2021, the Sun Bowl organizers let Tony out of his animated cage. After Miami (Florida) canceled its appearance because of the health pandemic, Central Michigan was named as the Hurricanes’ replacement to face Washington State at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

The Chippewas upset Washington State, 24-21 in front of 34,540 fans at the Sun Bowl. The game has kept its name since, and is one of the funnies bowl game names still alive today.

Salad Bowl (1947-1955)

After including multiple weird bowl game names that were named after sweets, it’s only appropriate to add something healthier. The Salad Bowl is one of the funniest college bowl game names, but like the Refrigerator, Raisin, and Glass, the Salad Bowl is no more.

Salad has a short shelf life. Soggy lettuce leaves are as worthless as dry raked leaves, although you can use dry leaves to start a fire.

The Salad Bowl was played at Montgomery Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona, in the 1940s and 1950s. It was sponsored by the city of Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun Kiwanis Club.

In 1952, the Salad Bowl stopped inviting College teams and saw service schools participate in 1953 and 1954, In 1955, the Salad Bowl was an all-star game.

Arizona State, from the Phoenix suburb of Tempe, lost the Salad Bowl twice. In a great service game of 1953, San Diego Naval Station (San Diego NTC) shipwrecked Camp Breckenridge by 61 points (81-20).

Poulan Weed-Eater Independence Bowl (1990-1997)

The Poulan Weed-Eater Independence Bowl is also one of the craziest college bowl game names. With nine syllables, 26 letters, and an intermission for those of us tired after the word “Eater.” Because of so many syllables, Congress voted to abolish this game (not really).

In fact, the Independence Bowl is one of the oldest active college bowl games. Since 1976, the Independence Bowl has been on the annual college bowl calendar.

The first thing to do here is to explain exactly what a “Weed-Eater” is. It is a loud tool used to cut grass and plants. It has a long, thin handle and spinning plastic cables at the bottom that are used to trim hard-to-reach lawn spots and bushes.

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl (2013-2015)

The Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl was not named after the greatest musician in US history, his Royal Purple Badness, Prince Rogers Nelson. Instead, it was named after an American automotive and industrial lubricant manufacturer from Porter, Texas.

In the 2013 Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl, USC knocked off No. 21 Fresno State. Utah won the 2014 and 2015 editions of the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl, beating Colorado State and BYU. So, the Pac-12 was a perfect 3-0 in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl.

First played in 1992, the Las Vegas Bowl was originally held at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada. This game moved to Allegiant Stadium, which is the home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.