The 8 best college football bowl game mascots as of 2024, ranked
It’s no secret that there are a lot of college football bowl games and that many of them have mascots — some fun, some odd, some perfect for an absurd sport — that are tied to the bowl’s sponsor.
We here at For The Win are not for #brands, but we do love the weirdness and quirks of bowl game mascots that enhance the ever-present ridiculous of the sport. So we’re ranking bowl game mascots for the 2024-25 season.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWLS: The 10 worst bowl names of 2024, ranked
This ranking is deeply unserious and purely for fun, and while many of our favorite bowl mascots are from this season, others are delightful characters from past bowls that we couldn’t resist including. So here are our top-8 college football bowl game mascots, as of the 2024 season.
8. Whatever the hell Beef ‘O’ Brady was (Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, RIP)
Dec 23, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; East Carolina Pirates offensive linesman Will Simmons (70) blocks against the Ohio Bobcats during the second quarter at the 2013 Beef O Bradys Bowl at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
I’m assuming some kind of 1920s-style Irish bare-knuckle boxer. I never actually watched the game. Not even sure it was a real mascot. Honorable mention to the Bad Boys Mower, who once hustled back to Florida after a scene-stealing Mad Men cameo in 2011. — Christian D’Andrea
7. Tony the Tiger (Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl)
Tony the Tiger hugs special teams player of the game, Arizona State placekicker Christian Zendejas, left, and offensive MVP, Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels Tuesday, December, 31, 2019 at the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Tuesday in El Paso, Texas. (Mark Lambie/USA TODAY Network)
I don’t know enough about bowls or mascots to make the most informed ranking, but I’ll roll with Tony because who doesn’t love Tony and those delicious Frosted Flakes? — Prince J. Grimes
6. Snoop Dogg (Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl)
The D-O-Double-G has been a caricature of himself for years now. A mascot and a product all in one, capable of making you laugh, dance and genuinely ask, “Why are you doing this?” If that’s not the spirit of bowl season, nothing is. — Blake Schuster
5. Prince Cheddward (Cheez-It Bowl, RIP)
Dec 29, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Cheez-it’s mascot Prince Cheddward entertains the crowd before the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl featuring the Oklahoma Sooners and Florida State at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Get a load of this guy! While he is not edible, mascots should not be edible anyway! In fact, it’s weird that the Pop-Tarts mascot is indeed edible. Long live Prince Cheddward. — Bryan Kalbrosky
4. Bloomin’ Onion (Outback Bowl, RIP)
Do you want to be the next Bloomin' Onion Man or Woman like @celebrityhottub? Submit on Instagram or Twitter through November 18 with #BeTheBloom and you could be the Bloomin' Onion mascot for the 2019 Outback Bowl on January 1! Visit https://t.co/bDujUWEl3U for details. pic.twitter.com/LhS7MAVg0L
— Outback Steakhouse (@Outback) October 18, 2018
Specifically, Ryan Nanni as the Bloomin’ Onion at the Outback Bowl in 2018. I’ve never been more inspired to become a bloomin’ onion in my life. Or maybe some cheese fries. Who knows? Outback Bowl, if you ever come back, HMU. — Mike D. Sykes, II
3. Obie (Orange Bowl)
Jan 7, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Orange Bowl mascot dances with the Alabama Crimson Tide cheerleaders after the 2013 BCS Championship game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Sun Life Stadium. Alabama won 42-14. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Obie is a crime against humanity and my eyes. From the clearly illogical placement of his arms to the creepy smile, I feel aggrieved. Whoever created him, COUNT YOUR DAYS. — Meghan L. Hall
2. The (edible-ish) Pop-Tarts Bowl mascot
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 28: The Pop-Tart mascot looks on following the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium between the Kansas State Wildcats and the NC State Wolfpack on December 28, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
How can you not love this thing?! The Pop-Tart Bowl mascot lived an entire life cycle during its bowl debut last season, celebrating and having fun before meeting its toaster demise and getting devoured. It lived its dream and hopefully started a wacky tradition that never dies — even if the Pop-Tart itself does every year. — Michelle R. Martinelli
POP-TARTS BOWL: The Pop-Tarts Bowl picked the worst flavor possible for its new creepy mascot
1. Tubby (Duke’s Mayo Bowl)
Dec 27, 2023; Charlotte, NC, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown gets covered in mayonnaise after the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
He has thick eyebrows, white arms and yellow legs. He is comforting but also terrifying. He is a walking jar of mayo that is rooting for above-average football in Charlotte, and he lives to see the winner of that game get drenched in twangy Duke’s. Tubby is inevitable. — Mitchell Northam