Pop Tarts Bowl: История и Эволюция Орландоского Футбольного Турнира

Annual college football bowl game in Orlando, Florida

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.

The bowl was founded in 1990 by Raycom 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; five games were played as the Russell Athletic Bowl. In early 2017, Camping World became the title sponsor of the game through 2019; 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, after the company's brand of snack crackers. 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. In October 2023, Kellogg's split into two entities, with the non cereal part (which owns Pop Tarts) taking the new name "Kellanova". 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"; it was lowered into a giant toaster and presented for players to eat after the game, having been replaced by an edible replica.

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. 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.

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