Football Fall, Y'all

Of all of the seasons in the year, I'd have to say that Fall is my absolute FAVORITE. Why, you might ask? Besides the gorgeous weather, beautiful colors and plethora of holidays, it is also home to the college football season. Yes, I'm a bit of a junkie. Having been spoiled enough to attend the University of Florida when we had not one, not two, not three, but FOUR different national championships during my tenor (two football, two basketball), I am really into competitive collegiate sports. Specifically the glory that is football.

Many also know that the regular season dictates which bowl game your team participates in. During the 2010-2011 season, there will be 35 bowl games including BCS games. Factor in two teams per game, and that means that there are 70 teams playing in a bowl this season! Though this seems like an astonishing number, it really come as a surprise. It isn't all that difficult to become bowl eligible. NCAA rules state that you must win at least 6 games during the regular season to be considered bowl-eligible. With most teams playing upwards of 12 games, it is seems relatively easy to make the eligibility list.

Bowl games are not standard games though. Since they are aptly-titled "bowl" games, each has a different sponsor. These corporate sponsorships range from Tostito's to FedEx, to even credit unions! The list of sponsors and bowl games can be found by clicking the following link: 2010-2011 Bowl Games.

What makes advertisers want to sponsor these bowl games? Of course just having their name televised and attached to a rather lengthy program increases brand awareness. But do you think that the costs outweigh than the benefits? My personal opinion says that they would, however if you look at the history of these events, you see that many sponsorships last over a decade (this year FedEx ended their 21-year sponsorship of the Orange Bowl. This was the longest sponsorship of a BCS game.) Why do you think sponsors stay in it that long?

I often wonder if the sponsorships are entirely necessary. These sponsorships don't seem to bring much to the table besides money for the game and the two schools participating. Then again, I am not sure that the individual bowls would survive without a corporate name attached to it.

What are your thoughts? Do you think these games NEED corporate sponsors to be successful? Or could they thrive on their own?