Welp, we’ve found the silver lining for the poor teams (See: Rutgers and North Carolina) who were rewarded for their decent seasons — I refuse to call them good — by getting to play their bowl game in Detroit. THEIR SWAG BAG! Which includes a $250 Best Buy gift card, Sony headphones, AND a custom-made Fathead for each player, with his likeness. Worst bowl game location gets possibly the best bowl game swag. It only seems fair. See the rest of this year’s bowl gifts below.
2014 Bowl Gifts to Participants (via Sports Business Daily)
■ R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Dec. 20, 11 a.m. (ESPN); New Orleans
Gift suite; Fossil watch■ Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Dec. 20, 2:20 p.m. (ESPN); Albuquerque, N.M.
Gift suite; AudioSource Sound pop portable/mobile speaker; mobile phone charger and cord; Oakley Works backpack; Oakley Enduro sunglasses; Oakley fine knit beanie; cap; Gildan stadium blanket■ Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
Dec. 20, 3:30 p.m. (ABC); Las Vegas
Gift suite; Oakley Works backpack■ Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Dec. 20, 5:45 p.m. (ESPN); Boise, Idaho
Gift suite; Ogio backpack; winter coat; winter gloves; winter beanie; Big Game football■ Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
Dec. 20, 9:15 p.m. (ESPN); Montgomery, Ala.
Gift suite; Fossil watch; cap; souvenir pylon; football■ Miami Beach Bowl
Dec. 22, 2 p.m. (ESPN); Miami
Under Armour sunglasses; Under Armour cap; Oakley Halifax backpack; electronics product■ Boca Raton Bowl
Dec. 23, 6 p.m. (ESPN); Boca Raton, Fla.
Gift suite■ San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Dec. 23, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN); San Diego
$395 Best Buy gift card; Fossil watch; cap■ Popeyes Bahamas Bowl
Dec. 24, Noon (ESPN); Nassau, Bahamas
Gift suite; Ogio Marshall Pack backpack; New Era 39Thirty cap■ Hawaii Bowl
Dec. 24, 8 p.m. (ESPN); Honolulu
Gift suite; Oakley Holbrook sunglasses; Oakley Works backpack; Tori Richard aloha shirt; Pro Athletics T-shirt and shorts/swim trunks; beach towel■ Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl
Dec. 26, 1 p.m. (ESPN); Dallas
Gift suite; Ogio Marshall Pack backpack; beanie; Big Game football■ Quick Lane Bowl
Dec. 26, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN); Detroit
$250 Best Buy gift card; Sony headphones; custom-made Fathead for each player, with his likeness; various apparel; football■ Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl
Dec. 26, 8 p.m. (ESPN); St. Petersburg, Fla.
Gift suite; Oakley Breadbox sunglasses; Oakley Works backpack■ Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman
Dec. 27, 1 p.m. (ESPN); Annapolis, Md.
Microsoft Xbox One console; Under Armour backpack; Mighty Boom Ball speakers; beanie■ Hyundai Sun Bowl
Dec. 27, 2 p.m. (CBS); El Paso, Texas
Gift suite; Timely Watch Co. watch; Ogio Politan backpack; Helen of Troy hair dryer; Majestic fleece pullover; Top of the World cap■ Duck Commander Independence Bowl
Dec. 27, 3:30 p.m. (ABC); Shreveport, La.
Gift suite; Timely Watch Co. watch; New Era ski cap; football■ New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN); Bronx, N.Y.
Variety of New Era products■ National University Holiday Bowl
Dec. 27, 8 p.m. (ESPN); San Diego
$445 Best Buy gift card and shopping trip^; Fossil watch; cap■ AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Dec. 29, 2 p.m. (ESPN); Memphis
Sol Republic Deck Ultra wireless bluetooth speaker; Bulova watch; Nike athletic shoes; Nike sport sandals; Nike sunglasses; Nike backpack; game ball■ Russell Athletic Bowl
Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN); Orlando
$447 Best Buy gift card and shopping trip^; watch; athletic performance shirt■ AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl
Dec. 29, 9 p.m. (ESPN); Houston
Gift suite; Adidas Team Speed duffel bag; cap; belt buckle■ Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Dec. 30, 3 p.m. (ESPN); Nashville
Gift suite; Fossil watch■ Belk Bowl
Dec. 30, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN); Charlotte
Shopping trip to Belk department store; Fossil watch■ Foster Farms Bowl
Dec. 30, 10 p.m. (ESPN); Santa Clara, Calif.
Gift suite; Fossil watch■ Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Dec. 31, 12:30 p.m. (ESPN); Atlanta
$300 Vanilla Visa gift card; Chick-fil-A gift card; Apple TV; Fossil watch; football■ Vizio Fiesta Bowl
Dec. 31, 4 p.m. (ESPN); Glendale, Ariz.
Gift suite; Fossil watch; Ogio Rogue backpack■ Capital One Orange Bowl
Dec. 31, 8 p.m. (ESPN); Miami Gardens, Fla.
Gift suite; Tourneau watch■ Outback Bowl
Jan. 1, Noon (ESPN2); Tampa
$150 Best Buy gift card; Outback Steakhouse gift card; Fossil watch; Jostens ring; cap■ Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Jan. 1, 12:30 p.m. (ESPN); Arlington, Texas
Information not available; bowl committee would not disclose■ Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl
Jan. 1, 1 p.m. (ABC); Orlando
$447 Best Buy gift card and shopping trip^; watch; athletic performance shirt■ Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual
Jan. 1, 5 p.m. (ESPN); Pasadena, Calif.
Gift suite; Fossil watch; Oakley Works backpack; New Era 59Fifty cap■ Allstate Sugar Bowl
Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN); New Orleans
Gift suite; Fossil watch; New Era cap■ Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Jan. 2, Noon (ESPN); Fort Worth, Texas
Gift suite; Ogio Marshall Pack backpack; beanie; Big Game football■ TaxSlayer Bowl
Jan. 2, 3:20 p.m. (ESPN); Jacksonville
Panasonic gift suite; Fossil watch■ Valero Alamo Bowl
Jan. 2, 6:45 p.m. (ESPN); San Antonio
GoPro Hero4 Silver camera and 32GB memory card; Fossil watch; Oakley Works backpack; Schutt mini helmet; panoramic photo■ TicketCity Cactus Bowl
Jan. 2, 10:15 p.m. (ESPN); Tempe, Ariz.
Gift suite; Fossil watch; Ogio Rogue backpack■ Birmingham Bowl
Jan. 3, 1 p.m. (ESPN); Birmingham, Ala.
Gift suite; Oakley sunglasses; beanie; hooded sweatshirt; Big Game football■ GoDaddy Bowl
Jan. 4, 9 p.m. (ESPN); Mobile, Ala.
Sol Republic Tracks Air wireless/bluetooth on-ear headphones; watch; Coleman chair; military style backpack; Wilson football■ College Football Playoff National Championship Game presented by AT&T
Jan. 12, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN); Arlington, Texas
Information not available; bowl committee would not disclose