El Paso sun bear picks Pitt to beat Stanford in Sun Bowl

Heliana, a Malayan sun bear at the El Paso Zoo, ventured a guess at the winner of Monday’s Sun Bowl between Pitt and Stanford during a ceremony of sorts on Sunday afternoon.

At 2:45 p.m. ET, the bear chose between two piñatas stuffed with peanuts, watermelon, Cheerios, and dried fruit. One was a replica of Pitt mascot Roc, and the other was made in the image of Stanford’s tree mascot. In the end, Heliana picked Pitt to win, shredding the panther piñata and sending stuffing flying.

This is the first time Heliana has attempted to guess a Sun Bowl winner, so she has no track record to speak of. However, the El Paso Zoo has had an elephant predict Super Bowl winners in the past, and it has seven correct picks in nine attempts for what that's worth.

Pitt and Stanford will face off in the Sun Bowl on Monday at 2 p.m. ET.