College football fan loyalty and passion is embodied in the costumed creatures and animals that roam the sidelines. Using a highly scientific formula of fierceness, likability, originality, fan interaction, history and general awesomeness, I broke down the best of the best of College Football mascots.
Only BCS schools were considered (sorry, Bill the Goat from Navy) and no humans in a Halloween costume (I’m looking at you, Trojans).
Barely missing the cut: Albert and Alberta (Florida), Blue Devil (Duke) and Smokey (Tennessee).
Brian Reddoch is a CraveOnline reporter and rabid fan of all teams Seattle. You can follow him on Twitter @ReddReddoch and at www.facebookcom/craveonlinesports.com.
Photo Credit: Getty
Top 10 College Mascots
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Bonus on the Bubble: Dubs & Harry the Husky – Washington Huskies
Any alum of a university will pick their own mascot at the top of the list. For that reason, I’m taking Dubs & Harry off the list out of fairness. If you also went to the best school in the nation, you would agree they are far and away the most awesome.
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#10 Oski – Cal Bears
Since the 19th Century, Cal sports teams have used a bear as their mascot, which is also the state symbol. Oski makes the list for being the cutest of any mascot without being cheesy. What he lacks in fierceness he makes up for in appropriateness and chill, coolness factor -- perfect for the Cal student body. Definite bonus points for the cardigan.
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#9 Buzz/Ramblin’ Wreck – Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The best college nicknames and traditions are the ones steeped in history and colorful stories; Georgia Tech has both in spades. The students and alumni were famous for their makeshift engineering skills in the jungles of 19th century South America. Their contraptions were referred to as “Rambling Wrecks of Georgia Tech” which lives on today with the only car mascot in sports. The Yellow Jackets originally referred to the students wearing gold (then yellow when gold fabric was scarce). The costumed bee takes student interaction to a new level with frequent crowd surfing trips during games.
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#8 Bucky Badger – Wisconsin Badgers
Fun fact: The nickname didn’t come from the lovable state animal but from a nickname for lead miners in the 1820’s who had to burrow in the ground to stay warm in the winter.
As a mascot, Bucky does it all, from leading the student section in cheers to skits with the other mascots to being the top of a cheerleader pyramid. His red-and-white sweater is iconic. -
#7 Big Al – Alabama Crimson Tide
What does an elephant have to do with a vague nickname of Crimson Tide? It has to do with a sportswriter during the famed 10-0 1930 season describing a sound of a thundering herd. One of the students (according to Alabama’s official website) yelled out during a game, “Hold your horses, the elephants are coming”. Big Al is more cute and cuddly then the men on the field but he is one of the most recognizable and original mascots in all of college athletics.
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#6 Goldy Gopher – Minnesota Golden Gophers
“Facts” pulled from his official bio webpage:
* “Goldy is a genius and did not attend high school, started directly at the collegiate level.”
* “Pulled over 1,235,445 pranks last year.”
* “Goldy has won 17 cars thanks to golfing hole-in-one's, but has donated them all to the Showcase Showdown on the Price is Right.”
* Friends with Chunk from “The Goonies” and Shaq.
* Has a 300 average in bowling. -
#5 Sparty – Michigan State Spartans
Costume versions of humans often easily veer into cheesy (Purdue) and corny (Nebraska). So many should be cool, but fail (Wake Forrest) or are just plain creepy (Lil Red). Enter Sparty from Michigan State. The seven-foot tall Sparty is a mixture of cute and fierce. You don’t know if you want to hug him or get ready for a brawl.
Fun Fact: Sparty was the first non-athlete to appear on the cover of NCAA Football videogame. -
#4 Ralphie the Buffalo – Colorado Buffaloes
There are few thing more intimidating for an opposing team then the sight of a 1,300 pound charging buffalo coming right at their sideline. Unlike Bevo at Texas or Mike Tiger at LSU, Ralphie doesn’t sit docile on the sidelines. Ralphie is run around the stadium with a group of tough-looking cowboy-students at the start of each half. Bonus points for their lovable and cool costumed version, Chip.
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#3 Spirit the Golden Eagle – Auburn Tigers
The Tiger nickname and mascot is so bland and forgettable that a way cooler one has surpassed it for doing the job of rallying the fans. The origins of the school using a battle cry of “War Eagle” and the flying War Eagle birds are steeped in legends and myths. How much of it is really true doesn’t matter. What matters is the 87,000 fans screaming the unofficial motto as Spirit the Golden Eagle circles the stadium prior to kickoff...Why they let the ‘tiger’ thing stick around is beyond me.
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#2 Uga – Georgia Bulldogs
An English bulldog wearing a team sweater and a spiked collar is cool enough. A mascot that once bit a rival Auburn player is beyond badass. He is cute, iconic and can be mean – what more do you want from a mascot? For a more interactive quality there is Hairy the Bulldog who is the costume version that is one of the best in the nation for rallying the fans.
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#1 Donald Duck - Oregon Ducks
Originality? Well, the duck nickname is pretty original and locally grown but the mascot was taken from a California artist named Walt Disney.
Likable? He is a Disney cartoon character that is beloved around the world.
Fan Interaction? Every time Oregon scores (which is a lot) the t.v. cameras automatically show Donald doing push-ups with a chanting student section. Donald is also known for his stunt antics like sky-diving.
Fierce? Have you never seen Donald lose his cool? He goes full on duck rage when needed. Plus, he once attacked Shasta the Houston Cougar for stealing his push-up skit.
General Awesomeness? His turn in the iconic ESPN “This is Sportscenter” commercial is one of the greatest. We all could sympathize with his forlorn cubicle imprisonment.
