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 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.
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
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 27, 2023
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.
