Pop-Tarts Bowl to feature 3 flavored mascots, Game MVP will choose which gets eaten

The Pop-Tarts Bowl made waves within college football last season when it had a mascot that ended up being eaten at the end of the game. Now, the game is doubling or tripling down and will have three different mascots, with the Game MVP choosing which gets eaten, per Nicole Auerbach.

That means that only one of the mascots is going to achieve “the ultimate pastry dream of being eaten by the winning team.”

The three Pop-Tarts flavors are going to be frosted hot fudge sundae, frosted wild berry, and a mystery flavor. Last year, the mascot was named “Strawberry” and was thought to be the first-ever edible mascot.

Last season, the Pop-Tarts Bowl introduced the live mascot that would be eaten to great fanfare. The mascot could be seen throughout the game, dancing and celebrating. Then, after the Kansas State Wildcats beat the NC State Wolfpack, players from Kansas State were able to eat part of the edible mascot.

In recent years, several bowl games have become invested in some strange food promotions. Eating the mascot is one of them. Others include things like the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, which sees copious amounts of mayonnaise eaten throughout the game and the winning coach receiving a mayonnaise bath.

This particular bowl game has been played since 1990. However, it’s only been called the Pop-Tarts Bowl since 2023. Prior to that, it was the Cheez-It Bowl as Kellogg’s became the title sponsor. In total, there have been nine different title sponsors for the game, which was initially called the Blockbuster Bowl. Champs Sports, Russell Athletic, and Camping World were the three most recent sponsors before Kellogg’s took over.

The game’s current trophy has a metallic football that has two slots like a toaster for Pop-Tarts to go into.

The Pop-Tarts Bowl is going to be between a team from the ACC and the Big 12 this season, just as it was last season. It’s scheduled for December 28th, 2024, and will be played in Camping World Stadium, otherwise known as the Citrus Bowl, in Orlando, Florida.