Is Texas mascot Bevo allowed at Cotton Bowl? Looking at postseason game rules & regulations

After missing the Texas Longhorns' victory over Arizona State at the Peach Bowl, Bevo XV, the Longhorns mascot, will be back on the field tonight for the Cotton Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The University of Texas mascot was notoriously missing from the Peach Bowl, as organizers decided there wasn’t enough room for the steer on the sidelines at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. That will not be an issue this Friday night.

The mascot's size represents a challenge. The steer weighs around 1,700 pounds, while his horns measure around 58 inches.

Having the live mascot on the sidelines is a tradition dating from 1916, when the original steer, named Bo at the time, was at the Thanksgiving game. Ever since that initial game, the mascot has been a fixture at Texas games and Bevo XIV even attended George W. Bush's second inauguration in 2005.

When playing at home, he usually stays behind the south end zone and is usually very docile. An honorary organization of undergraduate students called the “Silver Spurs” is responsible for his care.

Bevo XV, who will turn 10 years old on Jan. 24 and was presented as the mascot in 2016, also missed the SEC Championship against Georgia. It was also held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

PETA asks to ban Bevo from the Cotton Bowl

While having the Texas mascot on the sidelines presents no issues for the stadium, bowl organization or either school, there has been opposition from the animal rights organization People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

The organization released a statement directed at SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey asking to ban the Texas mascot from the Cotton Bowl due to the harm that the stadium's environment could cause the steer.

"Bevo deserves to spend his days grazing with his herd. Being forced into a stadium full of bright lights, screaming fans, and frightening noises is stressful—even terrifying—for sensitive, intelligent animals like longhorns, and this stress could cause Bevo to react in ways that might result in injury to himself or others, as we saw back in 2019 when he charged Uga at the Sugar Bowl," part of the statement read.

At the 2019 Sugar Bowl, the steer broke free from his handlers and charged the University of Georgia mascot, Uga, an English bulldog, before he could be restrained.

While there has been no official word from Sankey, it is unlikely there will be any limitations coming from the conference.