Bevo Banned from College Football Playoff against Arizona State

The Texas Longhorns will be without their live mascot, Bevo, for their second-round matchup in the College Football Playoff against Arizona State. The barring of the mascot could be a bad omen for the Longhorns given the result in their last game played without Bevo.

December 24, 2024 – The Peach Bowl, hosted in Atlanta, made the decision to keep Bevo out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium due to safety concerns, which is fair given we’re talking about a literal Longhorn.

“We love all of the great traditions of college football and no doubt Bevo is one of the best, but the unfortunate reality is there simply is not enough room on the sidelines of Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” their statement read.

“With the constraints of the stadium and prioritizing the safety of Bevo, the players, all the network cameras, support staff, cheerleaders, and photographers, we unfortunately will not be able to have Bevo on the field at the CFP Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.”

Bevo won’t be inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Texas’ Playoff matchup against Arizona State.  (Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

This marks the second time this month alone that Bevo has been banned from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He wasn’t allowed on the field for the SEC Championship game against Georgia, a game the Longhorns lost in overtime.

As for the safety concerns mentioned by organizers, they’re legitimate.

Bevo had a run-in with Georgia’s live mascot ‘Uga’ ahead of the Sugar Bowl five years ago when he broke through a barricade and nearly took out the bulldog.

Texas is fresh off of a 38-24 win over Clemson in the first round of the Playoff and enters its matchup against the Sun Devils as heavy favorites.