Pop-Tarts Bowl Mascots Increasing By 200 Percent To Three Potentially-Edible Walking Pastries

There's obviously been a lot of talk about how this year's College Football Playoff will mark the first time that the field has expanded to 12 teams, but that's not the only notable expansion during college football bowl season.

That's because the Pop-Tarts Bowl just expanded its field of edible mascots by a staggering 200 percent, going from one walking toaster pastry to an unprecedented three.

The Pop-Tart Bowl — which was the reincarnation of the beloved Cheez-It Bowl — takes place in Orlando, Florida at Camping World Stadium, and made its debut to rave reviews. 

I can't remember for the life of me if the game was any good, but what I do remember is that Kansas State won and in doing so, earned the opportunity to eat the mascot.

Now, since we all witnessed last year's mascot, Strawberry, toast itself in front of a stadium of people and then get consumed by Kansas State players and staff, the Pop-Tarts Bowl needs a new mascot.

But the Pop-Tarts Bowl likes to raise the bar, and they're doing so by introducing three new mascots for this year's game.

That's right; meet Hot Fudge, WildBerry, and some mysterious third Pop-Tart yet to be named, though they say it will be a fan-favorite returning to shelves.

Could the zombified remains of Strawberry rise from the dead? Probably not, but we shall see.

The winning team — which will either be a team from the ACC or one from the Big 12 — will get to decide which flavor mascot they chow down on after they win.

I love that the Pop-Tarts Bowl knows how to have fun. Is it gimmicky as hell? Yes, it is, but they lean so hard into the gimmick that it makes it hilarious and entertaining.

After last year's bizarre circus that played out at Camping World Stadium, this season's edition of the Pop-Tarts Bowl is going to be appointment viewing when it takes place on December 28.

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Matt is a University of Central Florida graduate and a long-suffering Philadelphia Flyers fan living in Orlando, Florida. He can usually be heard playing guitar, shoe-horning obscure quotes from The Simpsons into conversations, or giving dissertations to captive audiences on why Iron Maiden is the greatest band of all time.