While you might be in the midst of holiday shopping season, others are immersed in college football bowl game season.
Sports Curious presented by Last Night's Game, is here to help you join the sports conversation, even if you don't know the first thing about sports. We breakdown what's happening in sports in an easy to understand, fun way without all of the statistics and jargon so you never have to exit stage left when the chatter at the office, dinner table or a networking event switches to sports.
You can always catch us between podcasts at www.lastnightsgame.com and make sure to leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts.
[Transcript]
1. If the Oscars have the most coveted swag bags, bowl games are a close second. Players cannot be paid to play in the games but they can take home some great loot valued up to but not exceeding $550. Gifts this year include a cowboy hat, a life-sized decal for each participant of his likeness, a GoPro and for the first time ever at the Idaho Potato Bowl, fanny packs. TOUCHDOWN IN THE GIFT DEPARTMENT
2. What’s in a name? Well for bowl games, it’s big money. The committees will do just about anything to please their title sponsors including naming the game itself something odd. The most memorable bowl game names this season roll off the tongue like the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl, Cheez-It Bowl, Taxslayer Bowl and the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. And yes, there used to be a game called the Salad Bowl. HOW LONG UNTIL WE HAVE THE SMOKE-A BOWL?
3. Unless a player is playing in the national championship game, families cannot receive any financial assistance to travel to a bowl game, per NCAA rules. This year Heisman Trophy finalist from Ohio State, Chase Young, was suspended for taking a loan from a family friend to fly his girlfriend out to the Rose Bowl game in early 2019. WANNA GET AWAY?
4. Not all teams are invited to a bowl game. A team has to have a .500-plus record to be considered bowl eligible. The TV exposure, additional revenue and chance at a title all come with a price tag – winning. NO PARTICIPATION TROPHIES HERE
5. The top four teams in the country will play each other on Saturday, January 28 in either the Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ) or the Peach Bowl (Atlanta). The winner of those two games will play each other in the National Championship Game on January 13. The other bowl games are for pride and money for the program, but will not impact a team’s overall rating. BOWLED OVER
