College Football & Roller Coasters: The Benefits of Bowl Game Travel

As a college football fan, Bowl Season is one of my favorite times of the year. Throughout December and January, football teams from 86 colleges and universities across the country travel to a variety of bowl game locales, ranging from exotic and tropical locations like the Bahamas and Hawaii to, well, destinations that can most nicely be described “not-as-exotic.” (Sorry in advance to any readers in Birmingham, Boise, or Shreveport, among other locations.)

For players and coaches, benefits of a bowl game often include gifts provided by both the bowl game and its respective sponsor, which include a variety of items like watches, apparel, gift cards and electronics, but a less-often considered benefit of bowl games are multiple days of being in a new city, which often include a number of bowl-related events at venues and attractions in the host city. Of course, some of these events include trips to a local amusement or theme park. (Ah, you see the relevancy as to why we’re writing about College Football now!)

Photo: Oklahoma Football

In case there are any college football fans (or players, we’re not here to judge) who are curious if their favorite team are headed to an amusement park in addition to their practices and bowl responsibilities during their bowl trip, we’ve got you covered! Plus, who doesn’t love photos of people on roller coasters?

December 16: Cure Bowl (Orlando, FL)

Players from both UTSA and Troy had the opportunity to visit Universal Orlando, and both teams’ official hotels were actually at Universal Orlando as well. (UTSA at Royal Pacific and Troy at Portofino Bay!)

December 17: Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl – Universal Studios Hollywood

Over on the west coast, Fresno State and Washington State were both hosted by Universal Studios Hollywood.

December 23: Gasparilla Bowl – Busch Gardens Tampa

While we didn’t catch the IG stories as they happened, it looks like both Wake Forest and Mizzou got to ride Iron Gwazi. I still haven’t done that, and I’m extremely jealous.

December 28: Holiday Bowl – SeaWorld San Diego

SeaWorld was actually a former sponsor of San Diego’s bowl game, so it would make sense that North Carolina and Oregon got to enjoy some roller coasters and marine life. (Even if the UNC alum writing this article didn’t enjoy the outcome of the game!)

December 29: Cheez-It Bowl – Fun Spot Orlando

Before their exciting game at Camping World Stadium, Florida State and Oklahoma visited Fun Spot Orlando together for an event benefitting Orlando-area youth!

December 29: Alamo Bowl – SeaWorld Texas

Texas and Washington got to visit a SeaWorld park of their own in San Antonio!

December 30: Duke’s Mayo Bowl – Carowinds

While NC State and Maryland’s teams didn’t visit Carowinds, the welcome hosted both schools’ bands for a special performance during WinterFest!

January 2: Reliaquest Bowl – Busch Gardens Tampa

Much like the Gasparilla Bowl, Mississippi State and Illinois took a visit to the Coaster Capital of Florida ahead of their Bowl Game!

January 2: Citrus Bowl – Universal Orlando and Fun Spot Orlando

Purdue and LSU got a double dose of Orlando-area parks ahead of their appearance in the Citrus Bowl, visiting both Universal Orlando and Fun Spot Orlando.

January 2: Rose Bowl – Disneyland

Last but certainly not least, ahead of the Rose Bowl game, both players and coaches from Utah and Penn State took part in a Rose Bowl parade inside Disneyland — the only park to our knowledge to throw a full parade for the participating teams ahead of a bowl game!

Which bowl game has the best theme park tie-in? Did your team win their Bowl Game? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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Dec 31, 2022 by Features 0
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Andrew Stilwell

Andrew Stilwell has been writing for Coaster101 for more than a decade after finding a way to combine his seemingly unrelated passions for roller coasters and creative writing. He is also the host and producer of Coaster101.com's weekly-ish podcast, the cleverly titled "The Coaster101 Podcast." A native of North Carolina, his favorite coaster is Carowinds at Fury 325, followed by a list that honestly changes depending on the day.

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