Inside the ever-evolving wild ideas of the Pop-Tarts Bowl - ESPN

At approximately 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, the eyes of college football will be focused on a pastry.

Last year, the inaugural Pop-Tarts Bowl (formerly the Cheez-It Bowl, the Camping World Bowl, and so on) made waves — but not for its on-field action. It was the postgame ceremonies that drew everyone's attention.

After the Kansas State Wildcats were crowned the bowl's victors, the usual postgame traditions ensued. Wildcats coach Chris Klieman received a Gatorade bath. Players headed to midfield, where they donned Pop-Tarts Bowl champions T-shirts. Quarterback Avery Johnson was named the game's Most Valuable Player. A trophy was hoisted.

Then an oversized frosted strawberry Pop-Tart then climbed atop an oversized toaster and descended to its toasted doom. Seconds later, sure enough, an edible, oversized Pop-Tart emerged from the toaster's bottom slot. Johnson and Klieman enjoyed bites. Satisfied with what they saw, the bowl's planners went to work on making the next year's edition even more over-the-top.

Sounds outlandish? There's video proof to match the tale.

Kansas State's head coach and quarterback enjoy a huge Pop-Tart after winning the inaugural Pop-Tarts Bowl.

In a world where college football's bowls constantly jostle for attention in an ever-changing sport, outlandishness works.

When the Pop-Tarts Bowl started charting a course for its first game under the new title sponsor, a willingness to break the mold and push boundaries quickly emerged. The goal would be to find ways to be unconventional while still honoring some of college football's classic rituals.

«When we stepped into last year, the strategy was really 'How do we tackle traditional college football rituals and turn them on their heads?'» Pop-Tarts senior