College football fans might have thought that food celebrations at bowl games reached their zenith at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, where the winning coach gets a tub of mayonnaise dumped over his head.
However, the bar has now been raised. (Or lowered, depending on your opinion.)
The new Pop-Tarts Bowl won’t just have a mascot that interacts with fans, players and coaches. The team will have an opportunity to eat the mascot.
Yes, the Pop-Tarts Bowl will boast the first edible mascot, and the winning team will be encouraged to take a bite of the costume, per The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach.
The bowl matchup featuring teams from the ACC and Big 12 is scheduled for Dec. 28 at 5:45 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN. Played in Orlando, the game was known as the Cheez-It Bowl for the past three seasons. In hindsight, organizers really missed out on an edible mascot opportunity there.
Very important news: The @PopTartsBowl will have the first-ever edible mascot.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 27, 2023
Per the bowl, when the final whistle blows, the winning team will celebrate by taking a bite of the giant pastry mascot. pic.twitter.com/obie6w1qrM
This bowl is no goof, either. Last season’s game involved Florida State and Oklahoma with the Seminoles winning, 35–32. But that thriller didn’t provide the prize of taking a bite from a giant, anthropomorphic toaster pastry.
Toasting the mascot before consumption likely won’t happen in this instance. However, that shouldn’t take away from what could be an entertaining spectacle for a coach who is hopefully a good sport and willing participant.
