Tillery’s Trends: Bowl Mascots, Future Big 12 Quarterbacks, and Arizona’s 2024 Odds
Everyone loves a good trend, and while I may not speak for everyone in the wide world of college sports, I do have the opportunity on Heartland College Sports to discuss some interesting trends revolving around the Big 12 Conference and what’s coming up in the near future.
Tillery’s Trends is a weekly story that revolves around trending topics, players, coaches, teams, betting lines, and anything else that stands out about the world of college sports.
On the menu for today, we take a look at some notable mascots from bowl season, the next wave of Big 12 quarterbacks, and discuss Arizona’s football future. Enjoy!
MAYO VS. POP-TARTS
While college football’s bowl season features numerous uniquely named bowl games to watch, the two events that stood out above the rest in my mind were the Duke’s Mayo Bowl between West Virginia and North Carolina and the Pop-Tarts Bowl between Kansas State and NC State.
Both bowl games were thrust into the spotlight thanks to some clever marketing, fancy trophies, and unique sponsorship opportunities.
The Mayo Bowl kicked off on Wednesday night which quickly introduced some new festivities into the broadcast including combinations like mayo nachos, mayo donuts, and even a mayo bath for West Virginia head coach Neal Brown.
The Pop-Tarts Bowl then followed closely behind on Thursday with the first-ever edible mascot, a championship trophy that doubles as a toaster, and a mini Pop-Tarts dunk for Chris Klieman following the win.
Bowl games are awesome, and college football needs more unique sponsors to step up like Duke’s and Pop-Tarts.
NEW QB WHO DIS?
The Big 12 Conference is in a unique position heading into 2024 with the majority of teams making a quarterback change due to graduation, the transfer portal, and the NFL Draft.
Off the top of my head, I can think of eight or nine teams entering the upcoming season with a quarterback with one or fewer years of experience in the Big 12 Conference.
In no particular order, Baylor, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas State, TCU, and Texas Tech will all officially turn the keys over to a new quarterback in 2023. Iowa State, TCU, and Texas Tech have the benefit of their young quarterbacks playing in 2023, but with a plethora of new faces entering the league’s ranks, the quarterback position should be a lot of fun to watch as the season unfolds.
WILDCATS ROLL INTO 2024?
Watching the Arizona Wildcats beat the Oklahoma Sooners in the Alamo Bowl on Thursday night gave me an interesting concept ahead of the 2024 season: Will the Arizona Wildcats be favored to win the Big 12 Conference?
Arizona came back against one of the top teams in the league, and in the country, and with an outstanding coaching staff and experienced players remaining on the roster, the Wildcats could be in for a hot start in their new home.
While I don’t know if I’m ready to place the Wildcats at the top of the league just yet, if the 2024 Big 12 Preseason Media Poll were to drop today, I would place Arizona somewhere alongside Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Kansas State, and Kansas as teams with a serious shot to wear the crown.
Buckle up, 2024 is going to be a fun one in this conference.
