Old El Paso Has Taken Over Sponsorship of the NCAA Sun Bowl

Posted in: NCAA, Nerd Food, Pop Culture, Sports | Tagged: football, Old El Paso

Old El Paso Has Taken Over Sponsorship of the NCAA Sun Bowl

In what feels like the most sensible sponsorship you'll ever see, Old El Paso is the official title sponsor of the NCAA Sun Bowl.

Published Sat, 19 Sep 2026 18:02:11 -0500
by Gavin Sheehan
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Article Summary

• Old El Paso is the new title sponsor of the NCAA Sun Bowl, replacing Tony the Tiger ahead of the 2026 game.
• The 93rd annual Old El Paso Sun Bowl kicks off December 31, 2026, airing live on CBS at 2pm ET from El Paso.
• Old El Paso returns to its roots in El Paso, celebrating a hometown link dating back to the brand’s early 20th-century origins.
• Sun Bowl and General Mills leaders call the Old El Paso partnership a natural fit built on community, football, and tacos.

In what feels like the most fitting sponsorship you'll ever see, Old El Paso has taken over the sponsorship title for the Sun Bowl. General Mills and the Sun Bowl Association have come together to rebrand the annual NCAA football game, bringing the company back to its namesake city, happening on December 31. The sponsorship replaces Tony the Tiger, who had been the sponsor under Kellogg's for the past few years, as the taco brand has become the latest in a lineage that includes Wells Fargo, Brut, Hyundai, Norwest, among others. We have more details and a couple of quotes from the announcement for you below.

The Old El Paso Sun Bowl Takes Place This December

The Old El Paso brand traces its roots to 1917, when the Mountain Pass Canning Company began producing canned foods in the El Paso region. In 1938, the company adopted the Old El Paso name, which helped establish the brand as a leader in Mexican-inspired foods in the United States. Over the following decades, Old El Paso expanded its offerings, introducing products such as hot sauce, taco shells, seasonings, and one of the first Mexican meal kits. Today, Old El Paso is on a mission to bring families together over flavorful meals, proving that originality shouldn't have to come at the cost of convenience. Believing that no two taco nights should ever be the same, the brand offers a wide variety of quick, easy, and customizable options that make mealtime anything but boring.

Scheduled for December 31, 2026, the 93rd annual Old El Paso Sun Bowl will kick off at and air live on CBS at 2pm ET/12pm MT. CBS has broadcast the Sun Bowl since 1968, making its relationship with the Sun Bowl Association one of the network's longest running. This year's game will feature a matchup between universities from the ACC and the Legacy Pac-12 Conferences. The partnership was brokered by THE·TEAM, the global sport, music, and entertainment company, through its dedicated U.S. Rights Sales group, which represents the Sun Bowl Association's commercial rights.

"Being the first bowl game to have a corporate title sponsor, the Sun Bowl has been blessed with tremendous partners. Now to have someone whose origins are here in El Paso, it could not have been a better match," said Sun Bowl Association Executive Director Bernie Olivas. "This partnership fits perfectly with our community. It allows us to promote not only the city, but a great company that encompasses what El Paso is known for: quality tacos."

"We are absolutely thrilled to bring Old El Paso back to its roots as the title sponsor of the Sun Bowl," said Ben Bienert, Old El Paso Business Unit Director at General Mills. "At Old El Paso, we believe that just like a great football game, a family taco night is all about bringing people together, having fun, and making memories. Partnering with such an iconic, community-first event in the very city where our story began is a true homecoming for us. We can't wait to kick off this exciting new chapter and fans can definitely expect Elroy, our larger-than-life singing cowboy, to bring his signature swagger and flair to the celebration, both in the stadium and around the dinner table!"

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