Sugar Bowl has new sponsor

"Allstate was looking to expand its presence in the sports world and to create some goodwill in the New Orleans area.

It was able to accomplish both Wednesday with the announcement that the insurance giant is becoming the title sponsor for the Sugar Bowl, replacing Nokia, which had held the rights since 1995. The four-year agreement begins this fall and includes the 2008 BCS national championship game, which will be played in the Superdome a week after the Sugar Bowl.

'It's very rare when a property as prestigious as the Sugar Bowl becomes available,' said Joe Tripodi, Allstate's chief marketing officer. 'We already have a deep relationship with college football, but we wanted to go deeper, and the Sugar Bowl presented that opportunity. "