NC State +3 (-102) over Kansas State
DraftKings Sportsbook
Gambling Problem? Call or TEXT 1-800-Gambler 21+
- NC State has won five games in a row coming into the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
- The Kansas State Wildcats are without starting quarterback Will Howard for this contest after he put his name in the transfer portal.
The Pop-Tarts Bowl has advertised itself as the only game on the college football bowl schedule that features an edible mascot. Why anyone would want to eat a mascot is beyond me, even if that mascot is made out of Pop-Tarts. Here, we will take a look at the upcoming edition of this bowl game, along with a history that goes way further back than when this game was named after a subpar breakfast food.
2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl Analysis
In this year’s Pop-Tarts Bowl, it will be NC State and Kansas State facing off in a battle of power conference teams that did not accomplish what they had hoped they would this season even if they ended up ranked going into bowl season. NC State went 9-3, winning their last five regular season games, while K-State went 8-4. But in this game, the key is likely to be the the absence of K-State quarterback Will Howard.
Howard has entered the transfer portal and has been linked to some much bigger programs going into the offseason. That will cause problems for a K-State team that relied on Howard to throw for over 2,600 yards this season. Expect NC State to take advantage of Howard’s absence en route to a win in Orlando.
Pop-Tarts Bowl History
The Pop-Tarts Bowl started in 1990 as the Blockbuster Bowl. Between then and now, this game has gone by the CarQuest Bowl, MicronPC Bowl, Tangerine Bowl, Champs Sports Bowl, Russell Athletic Bowl, Camping World Bowl, and Cheez-It Bowl. Gnarly corporate sponsorship history aside, this game has produced some fun matchups, with tie-ins to the ACC and Big 12, and previous tie-ins to the Big East and Big Ten. Below is the full list of Pop-Tarts Bowl results dating back to the 1990s.
| Year | Winners | Runners-Up |
| 1990 | Florida State | Penn State |
| 1991 | Alabama | Colorado |
| 1992 | Stanford | Penn State |
| 1993 | Boston College | Virginia |
| 1994 | South Carolina | West Virginia |
| 1995 | North Carolina | Arkansas |
| 1996 | Miami | Virginia |
| 1997 | Georgia Tech | West Virginia |
| 1998 | Miami | NC State |
| 1999 | Illinois | Virginia |
| 2000 | NC State | Minnesota |
| 2001 | Pittsburgh | NC State |
| 2002 | Texas Tech | Clemson |
| 2003 | NC State | Kansas |
| 2004 | Georgia Tech | Syracuse |
| 2005 | Clemson | Colorado |
| 2006 | Maryland | Purdue |
| 2007 | Boston College | Michigan State |
| 2008 | Florida State | Wisconsin |
| 2009 | Wisconsin | Miami |
| 2010 | NC State | West Virginia |
| 2011 | Florida State | Notre Dame |
| 2012 | Virginia Tech | Rutgers |
| 2013 | Louisville | Miami |
| 2014 | Clemson | Oklahoma |
| 2015 | Baylor | North Carolina |
| 2016 | Miami | West Virginia |
| 2017 | Oklahoma State | Virginia Tech |
| 2018 | Syracuse | West Virginia |
| 2019 | Notre Dame | Iowa State |
| 2020 | Oklahoma State | Miami (FL) |
| 2021 | Clemson | Iowa State |
| 2022 | Florida State | Oklahoma |
Bowl Game MVPs
The list of Pop-Tarts Bowl MVPs features well over 30 names since the first edition of the game in 1990s. Among those MVPs are players who went onto have productive professional careers such as Russell Wilson and Philip Rivers. Below is the full list of MVPs for this bowl game over the last few decades of college football bowl action.
| Year | MVP | Team |
| 1990 | Amp Lee | Florida State |
| 1991 | David Palmer | Alabama |
| 1992 | Darrien Gordon | Stanford |
| 1993 | Glenn Foley | Boston College |
| 1994 | Steve Taneyhill | South Carolina |
| 1995 | Leon Johnson | North Carolina |
| 1996 | Tremain Mack | Miami |
| 1997 | Joe Hamilton | Georgia Tech |
| 1998 | Scott Covington | Miami |
| 1999 | Kurt Kittner | Illinois |
| 2000 | Philip Rivers | NC State |
| 2001 | Antonio Bryant | Pittsburgh |
| 2002 | Kliff Kingsbury | Texas Tech |
| 2003 | Philip Rivers | NC State |
| 2004 | Reggie Ball | Georgia Tech |
| 2005 | James Davis | Clemson |
| 2006 | Sam Hollenbach | Maryland |
| 2007 | Jamie Silva | Boston College |
| 2008 | Graham Gano | Florida State |
| 2009 | John Clay | Wisconsin |
| 2010 | Russell Wilson | NC State |
| 2011 | Rashad Greene | Florida State |
| 2012 | Antone Exum | Virginia Tech |
| 2013 | Teddy Bridgewater | Louisville |
| 2014 | Cole Stoudt | Clemson |
| 2015 | Johnny Jefferson | Baylor |
| 2016 | Brad Kaaya | Miami |
| 2017 | Mason Rudolph | Oklahoma State |
| 2018 | Eric Dungey | Syracuse |
| 2019 | Chase Claypool | Notre Dame |
| 2020 | Spencer Sanders | Oklahoma State |
| 2021 | Mario Goodrich | Clemson |
| 2022 | Jordan Travis | Florida State |
