Posted in: ABC, NCAA, Sports, TV | Tagged: ncaa, pop-tarts, pop-tarts bowl

2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl Guide: Who's Playing, Who's Getting Toasted & More

With kick-off set for ABC at 3:30 pm ET, our 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl Viewing Guide has everything you need to know and more (if that's possible).

What do you get when you combine hard-hitting college football, popular toaster pastries, Midsommar, The Wicker Man, and just a splash of Cannibal Holocaust? Welcome to our preview/viewing guide to the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl! On the field, we have the Miami Hurricanes taking on the Iowa State Cyclones in what we're sure will be one helluva match-up. But if we're being completely honest, our attention is going to be mostly focused on Frosted Hot Fudge Sundae, Frosted Wild Berry, and Frosted Cinnamon Roll – this year's three Edible Mascots. But while three Edible Mascots may start off the game, only one will be chosen to make the ultimate sacrifice. Who's doing the choosing? What time does the game start? Is there really a working toaster built into the trophy? All of those questions and more are about to be answered – along with a look back at last year, as we take a moment to reflect on the life and times of Strawberry Frosted.

When & Where Can I Watch The 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl? Taking place on Saturday, December 28th, kick-off time is set for 3:30 pm EST at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. You can check out the game, the sacrifice, and all of the fallout on ABC (and streaming on Fubo).

Who's Playing in The 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl? The Miami Hurricanes will be taking on the Iowa State Cyclones – the first time that the two teams have faced off against one another on the field. Here's what you need to know about the two teams:

Miami Hurricanes: No. 13 Miami Hurricanes (10-2, 6-2 ACC) will be making a record seventh all-time appearance in the game, and its first since a 2020 Cheez-It Bowl matchup against Oklahoma State. The Hurricanes are 3-3 in their previous six appearances, four of which were played in Orlando.

Iowa State Cyclones: No. 18 Iowa State (10-3, 7-2 Big 12), fresh off of an appearance in Saturday's Big 12 Championship Game, will be making its third Orlando bowl trip since 2019 — a run that includes a 2019 Camping World Bowl defeat to Notre Dame and a 2021 Cheez-It Bowl loss to Clemson.

Who Are The 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl Edible Mascots? Frosted Hot Fudge Sundae, Frosted Wild Berry, and Frosted Cinnamon Roll

How Is The 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl Sacrifice Being Decided? Unlike last year – when Strawberry Frosted's fate was known from the start – this year sees one of our three Edible Mascots jumping into the toaster. Who will it be? Well, the honor of offering the "thumbs down" has been bestowed upon the game's MVP – meaning we won't know until the end of the game.

Wait… The 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl Trophy Has a Built-In Toaster?!? You're damn right it does, and it was unveiled earlier this month. Here's a look at the unveiling of the big prize (well, the second-biggest prize – choosing a pastry sacrifice still holds the top spot):

Here's a look back at how the scientists over at Pop-Tarts dared to play god… dared fly close to the Sun… stepped on Superman's cape… and pulled the mask off the old Lone Ranger… wait. We're getting lost in a very old song. Anyway… here's a look at how the Pop-Tarts Bowl Trophy definitely did not come to be (but it's a fun take on Oppenheimer anyway):

ABC's Good Morning America reporter Will Ganss got a chance to get up close and personal with the trophy to make sure its "working toaster" claims were legit (as if there was any doubt):

The Pop-Tarts Bowl Edible Mascot Is a Pretty New Thing… Right? Actually, no. In fact, there's a "history lesson" that shows us that the Pop-Tarts Edible Mascot has been making an impact on college football since the beginning (okay, not really – but it's fun and plays into the whole weird "sacrifice" angle):

2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl: RIP Strawberry Frosted

For some, it was a brilliantly twisted marketing idea that made the pastry treat the talk of November. For others, it was a disturbing PR stunt that was all about "shock value." For us, it was both – in all of the best ways possible. Last December, the Pop-Tarts-sponsored bowl game saw the 25th-ranked Kansas City Wildcats taking on the 18th-ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack. Though the Wildcats would get the win, 28-19, it would be what was going on before and after the game that would make headlines. See, when they introduced us to Strawberry Frosted as the first-ever edible mascot, we kinda had an idea where this was all going.

But even with that ten-ton hint, we weren't quite ready for the disturbing visual of Strawberry Frosted holding a sign that read, "Dreams really do come true" before being lowered into an obscenely large "toaster" – and things got really weird, really fast. For example, Strawberry Frosted entered the "toaster" with arms and legs but didn't exit with them – meaning his arms and legs were burnt off in the process. Ouch. But it was at the end of the game that things started feeling kinda wrong, with the players tearing into Strawberry Frosted (baked with a smile on his face) like he owed them all money, as trophies were being awarded and Donna Summer (the one sane moment in all of this) played throughout the stadium.

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