The Cheez-It Bowl has been played at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium since 2020, replacing previous sponsors including Blockbuster (1990–1993), Carquest (1994–1997), MicronPC (1998–2000), Florida Tourism (2001), Mazda (2002–2003), Champs Sports (2004–2011), Russell Athletic (2012–2016), and Camping World (2017–2019). This is not the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix, which was the Cheez-It Bowl from 2018-19, and it’s not the Citrus Bowl, now also sponsored by Cheez-It. But in any of those combinations, the cracker company has been an excellent bowl sponsor on many fronts. Just not on a bizarre one they tried to impose Tuesday ahead of this year’s edition (which takes place Thursday between Oklahoma and Florida State).
How is Cheez-It an excellent bowl sponsor? Well, a Cheez-It sponsorship provides tremendous potential for what to dump on the victor afterwards, as seen above with Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney after last year’s win over Iowa State. And their product is a good thing to put in a bowl. And they’ve leaned into bowl weirdness in a number of ways, including with custom hotel rooms for this year’s games and with a number of fun trophies (including the MVP belt!) and photo ops.
Cheez-It has struck an NIL deal with 4 players participating in the Cheez-It Bowl & Citrus Bowl.
FSU WR Micah Pittman, OU punter Michael Turk, LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier and Purdue WR Tyrone Tracy get to stay in a hotel room that the company describes as “Cheez-It Heaven.” pic.twitter.com/7mrYS1LpB0
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 27, 2022
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And while it’s likely correlation rather than causation with the sponsor, recent Cheez-It Bowls have given us some of the strangest moments in NCAA football. But one of their “representatives” set shockwaves through the college football world Tuesday with a claim on the proper plural of “Cheez-It,” as relayed by Carter Karels of The Tallahassee Democrat:
Really valuable information: A Cheez-It Bowl representative told me last night that there is no such thing as “Cheez-Its.”
One Cheez-It is a Cheez-It. Two or more of the Cheez-It are called “Cheez-It crackers,” not Cheez-Its.
You’re welcome.
— Carter Karels (@CarterKarels) December 27, 2022
Karels, and so much of the college football and sports media world, offered protests after this:
“So get this. A singular Cheez-It? That’s called a Cheez-It. But a plural Cheez-It? That’s called Cheez-It crackers, not Cheez-Its. What is going on?” pic.twitter.com/D1aUVNIiGI
— Carter Karels (@CarterKarels) December 27, 2022
Me to that Cheez-It representative: https://t.co/MKndYjd58k pic.twitter.com/qB7dsz7b6a
— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) December 27, 2022
"THE PLURAL IS CHEEZ-IT CRACKERS, NOT CHEEZ-ITS, DYLAN!" Stunning news, TBH. https://t.co/ZQNRFxKkCY pic.twitter.com/BEUd3h548V
— The Camera Guys (@NBCSCameraGuys) December 27, 2022
Anyone who calls them "Cheez-It crackers" is welcome to get the hell out of my house and never come back again. They are Cheez-Its. https://t.co/pD31be4bfM
— Kyle Koster (@KyleKoster) December 27, 2022
https://twitter.com/kimischilling/status/1607823947042783232
For all of those who woke up feeling the cheesiest, the plural of Cheez-It is and shall forever be “Cheez-Its.” Not “Cheez-It crackers.” This is yet one more chance for media to do the right thing when the proper authorities fall short. And it shall be Cheez-Its, not “Cheez-It crackers,” that either Norvell or Venables has dumped on them Thursday.
[Carter Karels on Twitter; photo from Jasen Vinlove/USA Today Sports]
