ESPN’s Bowl Ratings Release Prove Just How Much Fans Love the Pop-Tarts Bowl

The annual mascot sacrifice has been a boon for the network.

The Pop-Tarts mascots acknowledged the crowd before their execution following the Pop-Tarts Bowl. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

In 2023, Kellanova renamed the former Cheez-It Bowl the Pop-Tarts Bowl, and proposed to the college football world a simple premise: what if the Orlando-based game concluded with the live execution and consumption of an edible Pop-Tart mascot?

That idea, preposterous on its surface, has turned into an overwhelming success. According to a Friday ESPN press release, 8.7 million viewers tuned in to watch No. 12 BYU down No. 22 Georgia Tech 25–21 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl—the largest audience of any bowl game outside the College Football Playoff through Dec. 27.

Rounding out the top five were the Pinstripe Bowl between Clemson and Penn State, the Gator Bowl between Missouri and Virginia, the Rate Bowl between Minnesota and New Mexico and the LA Bowl between Washington and Boise State. All but the Rate Bowl aired on Saturdays, with the LA Bowl serving as the lead-out for the Heisman ceremony on Dec. 13.

It’s clear after three editions that the Pop-Tarts Bowl has struck a nerve with the American people. The edible mascot is a unique touch, and the absurdist sense of gallows humor around the event has hooked non-football fans through online mechanisms.

With this Pop-Tarts Bowl featuring a stunning plot twist—Slammin’ Strawberry’s refusal to accept his fate in Mouth Heaven—you can bet a large audience will tune in for the 2026 edition.

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