From Pop-Tarts to Cheez-Its, Bowl Games Look to Up the Ante amid College Football Playoff and Other Controversies

NEED TO KNOW

• It's Bowl Season
• With a slate of games on tap in the next two weeks, organizers are looking to bowl fans over
• The games have not been immune to controversies

As college football evolves, so go the bowl games.

Just ask Notre Dame, who declined the opportunity to play in one, and see also: Kansas State and Iowa State.

When some schools passed on the chance, others that didn’t win the usual six-game threshold to receive invitations did — and they opted out too.

Yet for every Cheeze-Its Bowl and Pop-Tarts Bowl, there are organizers — and teams — hoping their matchups will be next level.

On Monday, Dec. 29 at the JLab Birmingham Bowl, Georgia Southern will face off against Appalachian State.

The newly reimagined bowl is centered around “player expression, sound, celebration and swagger,” according to organizers.

With players choosing their own celebration tracks, a 15,000 watt end zone speaker wall will hype big plays, and a new sideline reward is a bonus for the game’s biggest playmakers.

At the Cheez-Its Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla. on Wednesday, Dec. 31, Michigan will take on Texas — and the fans are likely ready to take on a host of cheesy concessions.

The sponsor is set to serve up everything from walking nachos to loaded chili Cheez-It crunch dog to a “first-ever” Cheez-It crusted turkey leg.

And over at the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 27, it’s a proverbial life or death decision when fans will have the chance to decide which team of edible mascots will be eaten. 

“Pop-Tarts fans are passionate about their favorite flavors, so this year, we’re giving them the power to decide which Edible Mascot team will be sacrificed and eaten by the winning team,” Leslie Serro, vice president of marketing for Pop-Tarts, said in a statement. “Whether fans are voting for their favorite team or recreating the epic sacrifice at home, this year’s game is all about delivering unforgettable moments.”

At least two matchups will also face a bit of intrigue, thanks to coaching controversies.

At the Cheez-Its Citrus Bowl, Texas will face a Michigan team who lost its coach, Sherrone Moore, after the university fired him for having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. 

Assistant Biff Poggi will serve as the interim head coach when they compete on New Year's Eve.

And when Ohio University played UNLV at the Frisco Bowl in Texas on Tuesday, Dec. 23, the team was without head coach Brian Smith, who was fired last week for multiple violations of his contract, including an extramarital affair with an undergraduate student, the Associated Press reported.

Interim coach John Hauser led the team to a win, 17-10.

Read the original article on People