College football has been known for years as an unpredictable and chaotic sport, partially because the schools that field teams have athletes that are so drastically different. From Harrison Mevis, the “Thicker Kicker”, to former Oregon juggernaut Justin Flowe, college football and its athletes epitomize wacky and weird in all shapes and sizes. However, nothing tops the new addition to one of the zaniest bowl games of all. Once known as the Cheez-It Bowl, this bowl game features two solid teams from the ACC and Big 12, and usually has chaos aplenty. Now there’s icing on the tart.
According to The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach, the Pop-Tart Bowl features the first edible mascot in sports history. Accompanying the coaches on the sideline is a giant edible toaster pastry, surely a first for the esteemed sport of college football. When the game is over, the winning team takes bites out of the mascot to celebrate. As far as the flavor is concerned, no major details have been revealed by Pop-Tarts or the Kellog’s brand, with the official bowl game calling it a “surprise”. Sports journalists such as former Notre Dame offensive lineman Mike Golic Jr. have put their say in, with Golic Jr. advocating for Wild Berry. Others have requested Brown Sugar, Blueberry, and S’Mores. In terms of the team at Sportsville, Strawberry seems to be the unanimous favorite.
The bowl game itself is considered a third-tier game. Besides the college football playoff, the ACC’s first bowl tie-ins are the Orange Bowl vs. the SEC and Big Ten and the Reliaquest Bowl vs. the SEC. Once those conferences nominate teams, the Pop-Tarts Bowl takes its pick of bowl-eligible teams from the ACC and Big 12. More than likely, the game will feature Oklahoma State and NC State, currently ranked 19th and 21st in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Despite the good football between those two teams, all eyes are sure to be focused on the tasty trophy awaiting the winners. The Duke’s Mayo Bowl even got in on the fun, jokingly threatening to call the Orlando Health Department on X, formerly Twitter. That bowl game has a rich tradition of dumping a ten-gallon cooler full of mayonnaise on the winning coach, so there could be an unfortunate crossover between the two bowls coming.
The unexpected is the norm in college football, and the 34th Pop-Tarts Bowl (the first under that name) is sure to bring plenty of entertainment and fun. After all, bowl season is all about celebrating the season and making the most of one final game. There’s no better way to do that than a giant Pop-Tart.
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