Pop-Tarts Bowl Trophy Has Been Unveiled And It's Magnificent, But There Was A Major Missed Opportunity

Move over Stanley Cup, there's a new greatest trophy in sports and it belongs to the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

Easily the most anticipated breakfast food-themed bowl game of the season, the Pop-Tarts Bowl has not shied away from doing things in its own deliciously gimmicky way.

That extends to the trophy which was taken out of its cellophane wrapper the day after Christmas. It is a sight to behold.

The NC State Wolfpack and Kansas State Wildcats will be duking it out on Thursday for the right — no, the privilege — of taking that beauty back home.

It's a multi-tier design with some chromed-out PopTarts (naturally) and a chrome football on top. The pièce de résistance, as the French say, is the pair of functional slots, specially designed to hold genuine Pop-Tarts.

It's fantastic. However, I think there's a major missed opportunity.

Why not make that chrome football a functional toaster?

Not Having The Pop-Tarts Bowl Trophy Toast Things Was A Mistake

I mean, most other trophies just sit around. Make the Pop-Tarts trophy a toaster and put that baby in the team lunchroom. What a way to make toast, Pop-Tarts, and, yes, even Pop-Tarts' most hated rival, the Pillsbury Toaster Strudel. Maybe even making the slots big enough to accommodate bagels. That would make teams leave everything on the field.

Believe me, I know what a pain in the ass dialing in a new toaster is. However, I'd put up with that headache in this case. Especially if every Pop-Tart that springs out of it reminds you of your Pop-Tarts Bowl triumph.

Maybe the R&D team was too busy developing an edible mascot for this year's game. It's a tall order. That probably took up a lot of bandwidth. Some that then couldn't be used to integrate a toaster.

Oh well, there's always next year.

Follow on X: @Matt_Reigle