Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- College football's top teams are pairing with iconic local brands for jersey sponsorships that match their regional identity.
- The Wisconsin Badgers led the way with a perfect match to Culver's, sparking ideas across the sport for authentic partnerships.
- Debates rage over whether brands like Chick-fil-A for Georgia or Guinness for Notre Dame would capture fan loyalty or face regulatory hurdles.
This offseason, college football witnessed one of the most perfect sponsorship deals we're ever going to see on jerseys. The Wisconsin Badgers have struck a deal with local fast food giant Culver's for a jersey sponsorship deal that will span across athletics, but that obviously includes college football as well. And there's almost nothing more quintessentially Wisconsin than the Badgers repping butter burgers and custard.
That, however, got the wheels turning about the other opportunities throughout the country that football programs and schools need to take advantage of. To give us some sort of parameters, we're only looking at the Top 25 teams from our projected AP poll, but we're giving each of them a sponsor that they clearly need to work with — though there is often more than one good option.
25. Louisville Cardinals
Perfect jersey sponsor: KFC
One could reasonably say that Jeff Brohm gives the Louisville Cardinals their own secret blend of herbs and spices. While they haven't yet reached the ACC mountaintop, the Cards feel like a threat every season. Paying homage to Colonel Sanders (heck, put his face on the jersey patch) feels all too obvious.
24. Clemson Tigers
Perfect jersey sponsor: Kanga Coolers
Upon researching brands for this piece, I discovered that Kanga Coolers was actually founded by Clemson students in 2017 before appearing on Shark Tank and getting an investment from Mark Cuban in the company. It'd be fitting for the Tigers to give some love to a growing brand that was founded at their university.
23. Florida Gators
Perfect jersey sponsor: Publix
There is not a more Florida-coded institution that I can think of than Publix. If you go a block in any town or city, chances are you're going to end up at a Publix (and likely consider buying a Pub Sub). Subsequently, what better jersey sponsor for the flagship state university than associating with such a brand?
22. Missouri Tigers
Perfect jersey sponsor: Panda Express
At first glance, it's okay if you're confused by Panda Express being associated with the Missouri Tigers. It's not exactly the most obvious connection. However, Andrew Cherng, the founder of the orange chicken masters, earned his master's degree from Mizzou in 1972 before founding his first restaurant in Pasadena the following year. That's a prime connection that would make complete sense for a sponsor.
21. Washington Huskies
Perfect jersey sponsor: Starbucks
When you think of Seattle and the big brands around there, it's hard not to go with Starbucks, right? Now, I'm not going to say that the logo wouldn't clash horrendously with the purple and gold of the Huskies, because it most definitely would. But at the end of the day, some matches are just too natural to pass up.
20. Utah Utes
Perfect jersey sponsor: Cotopaxi
There were a number of ways to go for Utah. However, it felt fitting to not only attach a local brand to the Utes, but also pay respects to the vibrant outdoor scene in the state. So Cotopaxi was the call here, especially with it being based in Salt Lake City. On top of that, the iconic llama logo would look pretty great as a jersey patch.
19. SMU Mustangs
Perfect jersey sponsor: American Airlines
Being in the DFW area, it only makes sense for a big brand like American Airlines or AT&T to make their way onto the SMU Mustangs jerseys. The branding could end up being quite fun, especially when you think about a quarterback, you know, "letting it fly" and all of the terms that could be applied to aviation. Plus, with AT&T having so much of a national hand in college sports, American Airlines just makes the most sense here.
18. Tennessee Volunteers
Perfect jersey sponsor: Pilot
The Jimmy Haslam effect on the Tennessee Volunteers truly can't be understated, so it only makes sense that the Vols will end up with the Pilot logo on their chest. The gas station conglomerate is everywhere you look throughout the state, and bringing it to Neyland Stadium (even more so than that presence is already felt) just feels like the natural progression here.
17. BYU Cougars
Perfect jersey sponsor: Crumbl
If it weren't for Crumbl Cookies, then Kalani Sitake might not be with the BYU Cougars still. It's quite clear that there is some investment in Provo when it comes to the 1,000-calorie cookie giants, and I'd be shocked to see anything other than their logo on the Cougars' jerseys. Bulking season just got a lot easier for the offensive linemen, too.
16. Penn State Nittany Lions
Perfect jersey sponsor: Tastykake
Being a college town, there aren't many brands that are truly exclusive to Happy Valley and State College. However, the Tastykake brand is quintessentially tied to Pennsylvania — and it's lucky for them. No matter how you feel about Philly or Pennsylvania as a whole, Tastykake absolutely slaps and would be a terrific regional shoutout for the Nittany Lions to sport on their jerseys.
15. Michigan Wolverines
Perfect jersey sponsor: Domino's
You can carry out their medium pizzas for $6.99 and you can find their headquarters in Ann Arbor. Doesn't it just feel right for Michigan to have the Domino's logo on their jerseys? Obviously, the local ties are unequivocally there, but let's also appreciate the irony of a program that seems like it's had one problem after another in recent years having a Domino's logo front and center.
14. USC Trojans
Perfect jersey sponsor: In-N-Out Burger
When it comes to inextricably California brands that also have a lot of national recognition, then you have to look at In-N-Out Burger. Lincoln Riley would probably sleep better at night if his defense and offensive line would play a little more animal style, but there's not a more fitting log to have on the jersey than a fast food chain that is in the fabric of SoCal.
13. Ole Miss Rebels
Perfect jersey sponsor: Solo
Shout out to The Grove, an Ole Miss jersey with a Solo cup sponsorship on the front would go triple platinum in Oxford. I don't remotely care that the company is headquartered in Illinois. If I'm thinking about a red Solo cup, I'm thinking about the Rebels and Toby Keith before everything else.
12. LSU Tigers
Perfect jersey sponsor: Raising Cane's
Just outside of Louisiana State University, a masterful chicken restaurant was birthed, and Raising Cane's hasn't looked back sense. Admittedly, Raising Cane's has done quite a bit of national marketing when it comes to college football. But in the way of jersey sponsors, there's only one team and program that makes sense for this tie. Raise Cane and Geaux Tigahs.
11. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Perfect jersey sponsor: Double Eagle Energy Holdings
Look, let's just be real about this — Cody Campbell, who founded Double Eagle Energy Holdings, already has his fingerprints all over the Red Raiders. This is really just affirming what we already know, and that's the fact that Campbell is (once again) part of this team, which could be made official by putting his cash cow and, thus, Texas Tech's cash cow on their jerseys.
10. Oklahoma Sooners
Perfect jersey sponsor: Love's Travel Stops
First off, let me sing the praises of Love's. Anyone who has ever made a habit of long, cross-country road trips will tell you that Love's is always going to have your back. But the Oklahoma City-based travel stop giant is headquartered just down the road, so to speak, from the Sooners, and it's one of the more obvious branding opportunities as a result.
9. Alabama Crimson Tide
Perfect jersey sponsor: Dreamland Bar-B-Que
When it comes to Alabama, they could obviously lean more toward a nationally relevant brand. However, I would contend that they would be truer to the Crimson Tide spirit by having something that is iconically Tuscaloosa, and that's clearly Dreamland. Bama fans take immense pride in the city and their university, and this would give them that in a jersey sponsor all wrapped into one.
8. Texas A&M Aggies
Perfect jersey sponsor: Stetson
The opposite of Alabama in many ways, Texas A&M feels like they would be the Lorax, but for cowboys. They speak for them, which means that they are going to have the full-blown Stetson logo on their jerseys. It simultaneously doesn't make sense and fits perfectly, which is pretty much the paradoxical nature of the Aggies in a nutshell.
7. Indiana Hoosiers
Perfect jersey sponsor: Bloomington Bagel Company
Back to the more local flavors, Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers still feel like an underdog, like a rough-and-tumble program that's quickly yanked themselves up by their bootstraps to win a national championship last season. They're not going to sell out completely just yet, though, so we're keeping them close to their roots with the famous Bloomington Bagel Company.
6. Miami Hurricanes
Perfect jersey sponsor: Carnival Cruise Line
Not only is Miami a massive port when it comes to cruise lines, Carnival being chief among them, but it's not unfair to say that the Hurricanes could be aptly compared to a Carnival cruise as well. There are probably too many people on board at this point, you're going to have fun but maybe not as much as you'd hoped for, and it always looks bigger from the outside than when you're actually in the thick of it.
5. Georgia Bulldogs
Perfect jersey sponsor: Chick-fil-A
In all honesty, there is a plethora of options for Georgia to choose from when it comes to a possible jersey sponsor (and I had to resist the urge to suggest a traffic attorney). Waffle House was a strong contender, but I've got to stick with Chick-fil-A. Especially for a college football program that, you know, doesn't play on Sundays, the symmetry is as juicy as a No. 1 combo.
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Perfect jersey sponsor: Guiness
It's time to get international now that we've arrived at Notre Dame, naturally taking us to the shores of Ireland and the famous Guiness brewery. Admittedly, I could see some of the Catholic ties or the NCAA having some sort of issue with an alcohol brand serving as a collegiate jersey sponsor. On the other hand, the Guiness logo on a Notre Dame jersey would rock very hard.
3. Oregon Ducks
Perfect jersey sponsor: Tillamook
Oregon is pretty clearly the most complicated program to find a jersey sponsor for, namely because the obvious choice is already on the jersey with the Nike emblem. So we're instead focusing on cheese and dairy with Tillamook. Frankly, this might just be shouting out Tillamook, because if you haven't had their cheese or ice cream, I would strongly recommend doing so.
2. Texas Longhorns
Perfect jersey sponsor: YETI
Similar to my suggestion for Miami, not only is YETI based out of Austin for the local ties to the Texas Longhorns, but there are some parallels. Both Texas athletics and the YETI Coolers are a bit overpriced, but still uber-popular on a national scale. But perhaps associating with YETI would allow Texas to figure out the part that the cooler brand has and the Longhorns haven't: How to obtain their ultimate objective, whether that's cold beverages or a national championship.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
Perfect jersey sponsor: Wendy's
I'm already envisioning a big-time sponsorship deal in which Ryan Day is on a Wendy's commercial telling us that Dave Thomas never cut corners, and they don't cut corners at Ohio State either. But the fast food chain was founded by Thomas in Columbus and is still headquartered in Dublin, OH, so it's a natural big-brand fit for one of the biggest brands in the sport.
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