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Pop-Tarts Bowl

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Pop-Tarts Bowl
StadiumCamping World Stadium
LocationOrlando, Florida
Previous stadiumsJoe Robbie Stadium (1990–2000)
Previous locationsMiami Gardens, Florida (1990–2000)
Operated1990–present
Championship affiliationBowl Coalition (1992)
Conference tie-insACC, Big 12
Previous conference tie-insBig Ten, Big East
PayoutUS$6,071,760 (2019)[1]
Websitepoptartsbowl.com
Sponsors
Former names
  • Sunshine Classic (1990, working title)
  • Blockbuster Bowl (1990–1993)
  • Carquest Bowl (1994–1997)
  • MicronPC Bowl (1998)
  • MicronPC.com Bowl (1999–2000)
  • Visit Florida Tangerine Bowl (2001)
  • Mazda Tangerine Bowl (2002–2003)
  • Champs Sports Bowl (2004–2011)
  • Russell Athletic Bowl (2012–2016)
  • Camping World Bowl (2017–2019)
  • Cheez-It Bowl (2020–2022)[a]
2023 matchup
NC State vs. Kansas State (Kansas State 28–19)
2024 matchup
Iowa State vs. Miami (FL) (December 28, 2024)

The Pop-Tarts Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that is played in Orlando, Florida, at Camping World Stadium. Originally commissioned as the Sunshine Classic, it has undergone many name changes due to sponsorship rights. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group which also organizes the Citrus Bowl and the Florida Classic. It was first played in 1990 in Miami Gardens, Florida, before moving to Orlando in 2001. The game has tie-ins with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Big 12 Conference. In the College Football Playoff (CFP) era, the bowl seeks to match the top non-CFP selection from the ACC (inclusive of Notre Dame) against the second non-CFP selection from the Big 12.

Since 2020, the bowl has been sponsored by Kellanova (known as Kellogg's until October 2023) through its Cheez-It and Pop-Tarts brands.

History

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The bowl was founded in 1990 by Raycom[2] and was originally played at Joe Robbie Stadium outside the city of Miami. It was formed as the Sunshine Football Classic, but due to corporate title sponsorships, was never contested under this name, nor even referred to as such except during brief intervals between corporate sponsors. During its Miami existence, it successively went by the names Blockbuster Bowl (three editions), CarQuest Bowl (five editions), and the MicronPC Bowl (three editions).

In 2001, the bowl changed hands, and was relocated to Orlando. The bowl was played three times as the Tangerine Bowl, a historical moniker that was the original title of the Citrus Bowl. Foot Locker, the parent company of Champs Sports, purchased naming rights in 2004, naming it the Champs Sports Bowl, under which eight games were played. In early 2012, naming rights were bought by Russell Athletic;[3] five games were played as the Russell Athletic Bowl. In early 2017, Camping World became the title sponsor of the game through 2019;[4][5] three editions were staged as the Camping World Bowl, concluding with the 30th playing of the bowl. In May 2020, Kellogg's signed on as the new sponsor of the game, naming the game the Cheez-It Bowl,[a] after the company's brand of snack crackers.[6]

In May 2023, it was announced that the Pop-Tarts brand of Kellogg's would be featured in the new name for the bowl, the Pop-Tarts Bowl.[7] In October 2023, Kellogg's split into two entities, with the non-cereal part (which owns Pop-Tarts) taking the new name "Kellanova".[8] The new trophy for the bowl was unveiled in December and features two slots for Pop-Tarts atop a metallic football. The mascot, named "Strawberry", is a large anthropomorphic Pop-Tart that was deemed the "first-ever edible mascot";[9] it was lowered into a giant toaster and presented for players to eat after the game, having been replaced by an edible replica.[10][11] For the 2024 game, the bowl held a fan vote of three flavors: Cinnamon Roll, Hot Fudge Sundae, and Wild Berry.[12][13] Cinnamon Roll was declared the winner on December 6.[14] The 2024 trophy will also be a functional toaster, manufactured by GE Appliances, with a weight of 77 pounds.[15]

Miami

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The bowl arose from a desire to hold a second bowl game in the Miami area. It was to be an accompaniment to the traditional Orange Bowl, showcasing the brand new stadium in the area that was built in 1987. The Orange Bowl game was still being played in the aging old stadium, whereas this new game would be played in the new stadium.

Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga quickly joined forces with bowl organizers and brought in Blockbuster Video, which he owned, as title sponsor.[2] The inaugural game, played on December 28, 1990, pitted Florida State and Penn State, and two legendary coaches, Bobby Bowden versus Joe Paterno in front of over 74,000 at Joe Robbie Stadium.[2] Subsequent games were unable to match the success of the first, even though the bowl was moved to the more prestigious New Year's Day slot in 1993.

In 1994, CarQuest Auto Parts became the title sponsor after Huizenga sold Blockbuster Video to Viacom. The New Year's Day experiment was short lived as the organizers of the more established Orange Bowl received permission to move their game into Joe Robbie Stadium beginning in 1996.[2] That bumped the Carquest Bowl back to the less-desirable December date. After the 2000 playing, Florida Citrus Sports took over the game and moved it to Orlando.

Before gaining Blockbuster Entertainment as the corporate sponsor for the inaugural event, the game was tentatively referred to as the Sunshine Classic.[2]

Orlando

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Camping World Stadium in 2015.
Camping World Stadium in 2015

From 2006 to 2010, the bowl matched teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Big Ten Conference. Under the terms of a television deal signed with ESPN in 2006, the bowl was to be held after Christmas Day from 2006 onward, and be shown on ESPN in prime time. The change was made to move the game from the less-desirable pre-Christmas date utilized from 2001 to 2004.

From 2005 to 2009, the stadium faced challenges in preparing the stadium for two bowl games in less than one week (the Citrus Bowl is traditionally held New Year's Day). This was also in part due to the Florida high school football championship games being held at the stadium shortly before the bowls. In 2009, rainy weather turned the stadium's grass field into a muddy, sloppy, quagmire for both bowl games. In 2010, the stadium switched to artificial turf, facilitating the quick turnaround necessary.

In 2009, the bowl announced that the Big East was to be one of the tie-in conferences for four years starting in 2010, with the bowl having the option of selecting Notre Dame once during the four years. In October 2009, the bowl announced that they had extended their agreement with the ACC for the same term. The game would match the third pick from the ACC against the second selection from the Big East. The previous agreement had matched the 4th pick from the ACC against the 4th or 5th pick from the Big Ten.[16] ACC and Big East teams subsequently met in the 2010 through 2013 games, except for 2011 when Notre Dame was selected (as permitted in the agreement with the Big East) and in 2013 when the Louisville Cardinals of the American Athletic Conference were selected ("The American" became the football successor to the Big East in 2013).

Since 2014, the game features the second pick from the ACC after the New Year's Six bowls make their picks—usually the losing team from the ACC Football Championship Game, or one of the division runners-up—against the third pick from the Big 12.

Game results

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Note: the bowl has twice adopted naming that was previously used by games with a different lineage.

All rankings are taken from the AP Poll prior to the game being played.

No. Date Bowl Name Winning Team Losing Team Attendance
1 December 28, 1990 Blockbuster Bowl 6 Florida State 24 7 Penn State 17 74,021
2 December 28, 1991 Blockbuster Bowl 8 Alabama 30 15 Colorado 25 46,123
3 January 1, 1993 Blockbuster Bowl 13 Stanford 24 21 Penn State 3 45,554
4 January 1, 1994 Carquest Bowl 15 Boston College 31 Virginia 13 38,516
5 January 2, 1995 Carquest Bowl South Carolina 24 West Virginia 21 50,833
6 December 30, 1995 Carquest Bowl North Carolina 20 24 Arkansas 10 34,428
7 December 27, 1996 Carquest Bowl 19 Miami (FL) 31 Virginia 21 46,418
8 December 29, 1997 Carquest Bowl Georgia Tech 35 West Virginia 30 28,262
9 December 29, 1998 MicronPC Bowl 24 Miami (FL) 46 NC State 23 44,387
10 December 30, 1999 MicronPC.com Bowl Illinois 63 Virginia 21 31,089
11 December 28, 2000 MicronPC.com Bowl NC State 38 Minnesota 30 28,359
12 December 20, 2001 Tangerine Bowl Pittsburgh 34 NC State 19 28,562
13 December 23, 2002 Tangerine Bowl Texas Tech 55 Clemson 15 21,689
14 December 22, 2003 Tangerine Bowl NC State 56 Kansas 26 26,482
15 December 21, 2004 Champs Sports Bowl Georgia Tech 51 Syracuse 14 28,237
16 December 27, 2005 Champs Sports Bowl 23 Clemson 19 Colorado 10 31,470
17 December 29, 2006 Champs Sports Bowl Maryland 24 Purdue 7 40,168
18 December 28, 2007 Champs Sports Bowl 14 Boston College 24 Michigan State 21 46,554
19 December 27, 2008 Champs Sports Bowl Florida State 42 Wisconsin 13 52,692
20 December 29, 2009 Champs Sports Bowl 24 Wisconsin 20 14 Miami (FL) 14 56,747
21 December 28, 2010 Champs Sports Bowl NC State 23 22 West Virginia 7 48,962
22 December 29, 2011 Champs Sports Bowl 25 Florida State 18 Notre Dame 14 68,305
23 December 28, 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl Virginia Tech 13 Rutgers 10 (OT) 48,129
24 December 28, 2013 Russell Athletic Bowl 18 Louisville 36 Miami (FL) 9 51,098
25 December 29, 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl 18 Clemson 40 Oklahoma 6 40,071
26 December 29, 2015 Russell Athletic Bowl 18 Baylor 49 10 North Carolina 38 40,418
27 December 28, 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl Miami (FL) 31 14 West Virginia 14 48,625
28 December 28, 2017 Camping World Bowl 17 Oklahoma State 30 22 Virginia Tech 21 39,610
29 December 28, 2018 Camping World Bowl 17 Syracuse 34 15 West Virginia 18 41,125
30 December 28, 2019 Camping World Bowl 14 Notre Dame 33 Iowa State 9 46,948
31 December 29, 2020 Cheez-It Bowl Oklahoma State 37 18 Miami (FL) 34 0[b]
32 December 29, 2021 Cheez-It Bowl 22 Clemson 20 Iowa State 13 39,051
33 December 29, 2022 Cheez-It Bowl 13 Florida State 35 Oklahoma 32 61,520
34 December 28, 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl Kansas State 28 19 NC State 19 31,111
35 December 28, 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl 18 Iowa State vs. 15 Miami (FL)

Source:[18]

Games 1–11 played in Miami Gardens, Florida
Games 12–present played in Orlando, Florida

MVPs

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1997 MVP Joe Hamilton
2008 MVP Graham Gano
2009 MVP John Clay
Date MVP School Position
December 28, 1990 Amp Lee Florida State RB
December 28, 1991 David Palmer Alabama WR
January 1, 1993 Darrien Gordon Stanford CB
January 1, 1994 Glenn Foley Boston College QB
January 2, 1995 Steve Taneyhill South Carolina QB
December 30, 1995 Leon Johnson North Carolina RB
December 27, 1996 Tremain Mack Miami SS
December 29, 1997 Joe Hamilton Georgia Tech QB
December 29, 1998 Scott Covington Miami QB
December 30, 1999 Kurt Kittner Illinois QB
December 28, 2000 Philip Rivers NC State QB
December 20, 2001 Antonio Bryant Pittsburgh WR
December 23, 2002 Kliff Kingsbury Texas Tech QB
December 22, 2003 Philip Rivers NC State QB
December 21, 2004 Reggie Ball Georgia Tech QB
December 27, 2005 James Davis Clemson RB
December 29, 2006 Sam Hollenbach Maryland QB
December 28, 2007 Jamie Silva Boston College FS
December 27, 2008 Graham Gano Florida State K/P
December 29, 2009 John Clay Wisconsin RB
December 28, 2010 Russell Wilson NC State QB
December 29, 2011 Rashad Greene Florida State WR
December 28, 2012 Antone Exum Virginia Tech CB
December 28, 2013 Teddy Bridgewater Louisville QB
December 29, 2014 Cole Stoudt Clemson QB
December 29, 2015 Johnny Jefferson Baylor RB
December 28, 2016 Brad Kaaya Miami QB
December 28, 2017 Mason Rudolph Oklahoma State QB
December 28, 2018 Eric Dungey Syracuse QB
December 28, 2019 Chase Claypool Notre Dame WR
December 29, 2020 Spencer Sanders Oklahoma State QB
December 29, 2021 Mario Goodrich Clemson DB
December 29, 2022 Jordan Travis[19] Florida State QB
December 28, 2023 Avery Johnson[20] Kansas State QB

Most appearances

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Updated for the December 2024 edition (35 games, 70 total appearances).

Teams with multiple appearances
Rank Team Appearances Won Lost Win pct.
1 Miami (FL)† 7 3 3 .500
2 NC State 6 3 3 .500
3 West Virginia 5 0 5 .000
4 Florida State 4 4 0 1.000
Clemson 4 3 1 .750
6 Virginia 3 0 3 .000
Iowa State† 3 0 2 .000
8 Boston College 2 2 0 1.000
Georgia Tech 2 2 0 1.000
Oklahoma State 2 2 0 1.000
North Carolina 2 1 1 .500
Notre Dame 2 1 1 .500
Syracuse 2 1 1 .500
Virginia Tech 2 1 1 .500
Wisconsin 2 1 1 .500
Oklahoma 2 0 2 .000
Colorado 2 0 2 .000
Penn State 2 0 2 .000

† December 2024 participant

Teams with a single appearance

Won (10): Alabama, Baylor, Illinois, Kansas State, Louisville, Maryland, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Stanford, Texas Tech
Lost (6): Arkansas, Kansas, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers

Duke and Wake Forest are the only current ACC members yet to appeared in this bowl. Former member Maryland and future member Stanford also played in the bowl, but Cal and SMU have not.

Appearances by conference

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Updated for the December 2024 edition (35 games, 70 total appearances).

Conference Record Appearances by season
Games W L Win pct. Won Lost
ACC† 30 17 12 .586 1995, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022 1993*, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2023
Big 12† 14 5 8 .385 2002, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2023 2003, 2005, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
The American 10 5 5 .500 1993*, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2013 1994*, 1997, 2004, 2010, 2012
Big Ten 6 2 4 .333 1999, 2009 2000, 2006, 2007, 2008
Independents 5 2 3 .400 1990, 2019 1990, 1992*, 2011
SEC 3 2 1 .667 1991, 1994* 1995
Pac-10 1 1 0 1.000 1992*  
Big Eight 1 0 1 .000   1991

† December 2024 participant

  • Games marked with an asterisk (*) were played in January of the following calendar year.
  • The American record includes appearances of the Big East Conference, as The American retains the charter of the original Big East, following its 2013 realignment. Teams representing the Big East appeared in nine games, compiling a 4–5 record.
  • The Big Eight Conference dissolved after the 1995 season.
  • Independents: Penn State (1990, 1992), Florida State (1990), Notre Dame (2011, 2019)

Game records

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Team Record, Team vs. Opponent Year
Most points scored (one team) 63, Illinois vs. Virginia 1999
Most points scored (both teams) 87, Baylor vs. North Carolina 2015
Most points scored (losing team) 38, North Carolina vs. Baylor 2015
Fewest points allowed 3, Stanford vs. Penn State 1993 (Jan.)
Largest margin of victory 42, Illinois vs. Virginia 1999
Total yards 587, Florida State vs. Oklahoma 2022
Rushing yards 645, Baylor vs. North Carolina 2015
Passing yards 481, NC State vs. Kansas 2003
First downs 38, Baylor vs. North Carolina 2015
Fewest yards allowed 124, Clemson vs. Colorado 2005
Fewest rushing yards allowed –11, Alabama vs. Colorado 1991
Fewest passing yards allowed 103, Clemson vs. Oklahoma 2014
Individual Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
All-purpose yards 327, Koren Robinson (NC State) 2000
Touchdowns (all-purpose)
Rushing yards 299, Johnny Jefferson (Baylor) 2015
Rushing touchdowns 3, Johnny Jefferson (Baylor) 2015
Passing yards 475, Philip Rivers (NC State) 2003
Passing touchdowns 5, Philip Rivers (NC State) 2003
Receiving yards 202, Johnny Wilson (Florida State) 2022
Receiving touchdowns 3, Brennan Presley (Oklahoma State) 2020
Tackles 22 Donnie Miles (North Carolina) 2015
Sacks 3.0, Kendall Coleman (Syracuse) 2018
Interceptions 2, shared by:
Brandon Jones (Rutgers)
Jamie Silva (Boston College)
Ronde Barber (Virginia)
Vincent Meeks (Texas Tech)
2012
2007
1996
2002
Long Plays Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
Touchdown run 84 yds., Tony Jones Jr. (Notre Dame) 2019
Touchdown pass 87 yds., Mike Thomas to LC Stevens (North Carolina) 1995
Kickoff return 90 yds., Gregory Gordon (NC State) 2001
Punt return 59 yds., Wes Welker (Texas Tech) 2002
Interception return 47 yds., Ben Boulware (Clemson) 2014
Fumble return 75 yds., Derek Nicholson (Florida State) 2008
Punt 68 yds., John Torp (Colorado) 2005
Field goal 51 yds., B. T. Potter (Clemson) 2021
Miscellaneous Record, Teams Year
Longest Time of Possession 39:48, Maryland vs. Purdue 2006
Largest attendance 74,021, Florida State vs. Penn State 1990
Most Appearances 6, Miami (FL) 1996, 1998, 2009, 2013, 2016, 2020
Most Victories 4, Florida State 1990, 2008, 2011, 2022

Source:[21]

Media coverage

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The bowl was televised by Raycom in its inaugural year, followed by CBS Sports (four editions), TBS (six editions), and ESPN since 2001.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Not to be confused with the earlier Cheez-It Bowl (2018–2019).
  2. ^ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no reported attendance at the 2020 game.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e "The Making of a Blockbuster: How Wayne Huizenga Built a Sports and Entertainment Empire from Trash, Grit, and Videotape". Wiley. 1997. ISBN 978-0-471-15903-2. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
  3. ^ "Russell Athletic Bowl History". RussellAthleticBowl.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  4. ^ "CAMPING WORLD SIGNS ON AS TITLE SPONSOR OF ORLANDO BOWL". campingworldbowl.com. April 11, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  5. ^ "About". campingworldbowl.com. 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  6. ^ "Cheez-It® Heads To Orlando To Join Florida Citrus Sports Beginning With 2020 Season". cheezitbowl.com. May 27, 2020. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  7. ^ "Pop-Tarts® Intercepts College Football Fandom With First-Ever Pop-Tarts Bowl". kelloggcompany.com (Press release). PR Newswire. May 31, 2023.
  8. ^ Oguh, Chibuike; Vanaik, Granth (October 2, 2023). "Kellanova, WK Kellogg shares slump on first day after spinoff". Reuters.
  9. ^ Rasmussen, Karl (December 28, 2023). "Pop-Tarts Bowl Unveiled New Mascot Using Giant Toaster at Midfield". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  10. ^ Chery, Samantha (December 29, 2023). "How Strawberry, the Pop-Tarts Bowl mascot, took over the internet". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  11. ^ Evans, Jace (December 28, 2023). "Kansas State celebrates Pop-Tarts Bowl win by eating Pop-Tarts mascot". USA Today. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  12. ^ "The Pop-Tarts Bowl picked the worst flavor possible for its new creepy mascot". For The Win. 2024-12-04. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  13. ^ "Pop-Tarts will send another edible mascot to 'mouth heaven' at bowl game". Marketing Dive. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  14. ^ Weisholtz, Drew (2024-12-04). "Fan-favorite flavor revealed as Pop-Tarts Bowl's third mascot that will return to shelves". NBC 6 South Florida. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  15. ^ Phillips, Ryan (2024-12-15). "Pop-Tarts Bowl Unveils New Trophy That Includes Working Toaster". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  16. ^ Adelson, Andrea (October 7, 2009). "College football: ACC improves deal with Champs Sports Bowl; will send No. 3 team to Orlando beginning in 2010". OrlandoSentinel.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2009 – via Wayback Machine.
  17. ^ "2020 Cheez-It Bowl Game Notes" (PDF). OKState.com.
  18. ^ "Game Scores". cheezitbowl.com. December 29, 2022.
  19. ^ @CheezItBowl (December 29, 2022). "Congratulations to the 2022 #CheezItBowl MVP, @jordantrav13!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ @DScottFritchen (December 28, 2023). "The moment Avery Johnson is named Pop-Tarts Bowl MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ "Game Records". Cheez-It Bowl Game Day Program. University Sports Publications Co. Florida Citrus Sports. December 2020. pp. 20, 23. Retrieved December 27, 2020 – via publogix.com.

Further reading

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