It’s ESPN’s most-watched non-College Football Playoff bowl game so far this postseason, according to ESPN PR, which reported Friday a 13% increase in viewership for those games through Dec. 27.
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As No. 12 BYU rallied to beat No. 22 Georgia Tech 25-21, the Pop-Tarts Bowl averaged 8.7 million viewers, up from the 6.8 million it drew the year before when No. 18 Iowa State cruised to a 42-41 victory over No. 13 Miami.
Those 6.8 million in 2024 were the most viewers the bowl game had attracted since 2008, when it was called the Champs Sports Bowl.
As for the 8.7 million in 2025, that’s the most ESPN viewers for a non-CFP or New Year’s Six bowl since the Citrus Bowl during the 2019-20 postseason.
The Pop-Tarts Bowl benefited from another great matchup, once again featuring a CFP-caliber team. In 2024, Miami met the requirements. This time, it was BYU, which had lost just two games all season. Both losses came against Texas Tech, and one of them was in the Big 12 title game.
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The schedule also gave a boost to the Pop-Tarts Bowl and other postseason games on the Saturday after Christmas. With people still home for the holidays, bowling on December 27th performed exceptionally well.
In fact, that was when ESPN’s three most-watched non-CFP bowls were played to that date.
The Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl, in which Penn State defeated Clemson 22-10 at Yankee Stadium, averaged 7.6 million viewers. The TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, which featured ACC runner-up and No. 19 Virginia beating Missouri 13-7, averaged 6.0 million viewers, according to ESPN PR.
Those games, of course, also provided matchups that were entertaining or particularly intriguing to at least an engaged fan base. In terms of the Pinstripe Bowl, Penn State and Clemson ranked in the top four of the preseason AP poll. Meanwhile, when it came to the Gator Bowl, UVA was enjoying a special season, and its fans had every reason to see their Cavaliers achieve a program-record 11th victory.
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The Pop-Tarts Bowl, however, topped the day and the list that ESPN PR published on Friday. It’s a game Notre Dame potentially could have played in had it not opted out of bowl consideration.
Although it’s only three years old, the Pop-Tarts Bowl is already steeped in history. The last two seasons, the winner received a trophy with a working toaster.
The event has mastered the art of going viral and its Pop-Tart mascots are behind antics that often make the social media algorithm tick.
In 2024, the Pop-Tarts Bowl resurrected a toasted Strawberry Pop-Tart and food from the previous year’s game.
In 2025, the bowl introduced a ring of honor for its fallen cakes. BYU and Georgia Tech had Pop-Tarts-themed helmets and end zones.
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And, naturally, there was another “snack.”