Raymond James Stadium will have a different aesthetic for the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl. Within hours of the eighth annual edition of the bowl game, which will feature Florida and Tulane, the committee revealed its end zone designs on social media, much to the delight of fans.

Each end zone had a custom design representing both teams with a pirate-themed arrangement. The designs were treasure maps with a final “X” marking the location of each school.

The theme is on brand for the bowl game, which was named after the mythical Spanish pirate Jose ‘Gasparilla' Gaspar. The game was previously known as the St. Petersburg Bowl and Beef ‘O' Brady's Bowl and was played at Tropicana Field before it was rebranded and relocated in 2017. The new-look bowl game was given its new title in honor of the world-renowned Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa.

Entering 2024, the bowl game has featured a Florida-based team in 10 of its 15 events since 2008. Florida will participate for the second time, having lost the 2021 Gasparilla Bowl to UCF. Tulane will make its first-ever appearance.

Florida and Tulane face off in the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl

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The 2024 Gasparilla Bowl will mark the conclusion of differing seasons for Florida and Tulane. While the Gators trot into the meeting at 7-5, the Green Wave enter the matchup at 9-4 and coming off a loss to Army in the American Athletic Championship Game.

However, despite their vastly different success levels, Florida is riding a three-game win streak into the bowl game, while Tulane will look to snap a two-game skid. The Gators' win streak includes upset victories over No. 9-ranked Ole Miss and No. 22-ranked LSU. Their offense has found its rhythm under freshman sensation D.J. Lagway, and they have one final chance to gain momentum ahead of the 2025 season.

Despite its success, Tulane will play without a handful of key players from the regular season. Most notably, star freshman quarterback Darian Mensah entered the transfer portal after the team's loss to Army, leaving the team significantly hampered for the bowl game. Without Mensah, the Green Wave will start Oregon transfer Ty Thompson, who has also entered the portal and will leave the program after the game.

Florida will also play without key defenders Jack Pyburn and T.J. Searcy, both of whom have entered the portal. The former was the team's second-leading tackler on the year while the latter ranked third with three sacks. However, the loss of Mensah does not compare to any of the Gators' absences.