Texas Live Mascot Bevo XV Not Allowed on Peach Bowl Sideline for CFP Game vs. ASU

Texas will be without a key member of its family for its College Football Playoff game against Arizona State on New Year’s Day.

The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl announced on Monday that Texas’ live steer mascot Bevo XV won’t be allowed on the field due to space constraints on the sidelines at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta:

Per Sam Khan Jr. of The Athletic, Bevo weighs more than 1,700 pounds and has a horn span of more than 58 inches. It was also forced to miss the SEC Championship against Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the same reasons, and the Longhorns ended up losing to the Bulldogs for the second time this season.

“It doesn’t look like we’re going to have the space that we need to erect his enclosure,” Matt Garvey, the vice president of communications for the Peach Bowl, said Monday. “So, for the safety of Bevo and the players and the media and the camera crews that are on site there, it doesn’t look like we’re going to be able to accommodate him.”

The SEC explained in a statement earlier this month that it had looked into alternatives to accommodate Bevo for the conference title game but determined that it wasn’t possible.

“The reality is there is limited sideline space at the stadium,” the conference said in a statement on Dec. 5. “We can’t jeopardize the safety of Bevo or the game participants. With the narrow sidelines, location of multiple sets for television and camera carts, there is not enough space. While we want to honor tradition across the conference, the space limitation is a reality.”

The Longhorns defeated Clemson 38-24 in their CFP first-round game. Texas will be facing an Arizona State team that hasn’t played since defeating Iowa State 45-19 in the Big 12 championship on Dec. 7.