A college bowl game’s name is only as good as its mascot. Over the years, these fun (and sometimes edible) mascots have elevated end-of-season games into social media and pop culture spectacles.
Bowl fact: Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich won MVP in the bowl (then known as the GMAC Bowl) in back-to-back years (2001, 2002).
Bowl fact: Four nationally ranked teams have played in the bowl in its history: No. 9 Coastal Carolina (2020), No. 22 UTSA (2022), No. 23 Liberty (2020), No. 23 Troy (2022).
Bowl fact: The first Fiesta Bowl in 1971 combined for 83 points, the highest total ever for a major bowl game.
Bowl fact: Toledo and Nevada played in the first-ever overtime game on the Division I FBS level in 1995.
Bowl fact: In 1938, a sellout crowd attended the brand-new Orange Bowl Stadium, which cost $360,000 to construct.
Bowl fact: Purdue quarterback Drew Brees set or tied six individual bowl records in 2000 but lost the game to Georgia.
Bowl fact: The 1974 edition featuring Texas Tech and Vanderbilt saw the bowl’s only game that ended in a tie (6-6).
Bowl fact: The Sun Bowl is tied for the second-oldest bowl game with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl.
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Reflect on notable mascots throughout college football bowl game history below:
Bowl fact: Nevada and Wyoming are tied for the most wins in its history with two each.
Bowl fact: Nine of the past 12 games have featured a team from a military academy.
Bowl fact: It’s the seventh-oldest college bowl game in the country.
Bowl fact: The first ever Duke’s Mayo Bowl game was played in front of 73,535 fans in 2002.
Bowl fact: It has been known as the First Responder Bowl since 2018.
Bowl fact: 2026 will be the final edition of the LA Bowl.
Bowl fact: Baylor set a bowl-record 756 yards of total offense in 2015 against North Carolina.
Bowl fact: Georgia Tech held Tulsa to minus-56 rushing yards in 2004.