Ranking college football’s most iconic and unique mascots
In a recent NFL.com article, the top 15 mascots of the college football landscape were listed with no rhyme or reason as to how the list was formed. Here at DucksWire, we came up with our own list. We’ve only listed 10 mascots we thought were iconic in their own way or had some relationship to the University of Oregon.
While we left out Bevo of Texas or Wisconsin’s Bucky Badger, the two lists do have one thing in common. We agree that Oregon’s Duck is No. 1. Kirk Herbstreit said The Duck was the college version of the San Diego Chicken and is the only mascot to pick games on ESPN “College GameDay.”
Lists like this are subjective, and we probably missed a couple here and there, but here are what we think are college football’s best mascots out there.
THE DUCK
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Did anyone really think our buddy The Duck wouldn’t be at the top of the list. Every other mascot is chopped liver compared to The Duck, who is still looking for a PlayStation 5 after Oregon’s trip to the Fiesta Bowl. And if anyone can bring back the fanny pack into style, it’s him.
UGA - University of Georgia
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The Duck and the rest of the football team will get a chance to meet this little guy in September. Uga is the best live mascot out there, and he’ll be happy to know that the Duck is more gentle than Texas’ Bevo, who almost had him for breakfast during an encounter at the Sugar Bowl. Other than on Sept. 3, we love Uga!
BRUTUS THE BUCKEYE - Ohio State
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
He’s definitely a nut and Brutus didn’t have a lot to smile about after the Ducks went to Columbus and stunned his beloved Buckeyes. Now the Duck and Brutus might be conference rivals in the coming years.
MIKE THE TIGER - LSU
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There is a real Mike, which is an actual Bengal tiger on the LSU campus, most fans think of this guy when it comes to that team.
RALPHIE - Colorado
Russell Lansford-USA TODAY Sports
One of the coolest mascots out there and traditions in college football is Ralphie running out onto Folsom Field. Although it seems quite dangerous, this is one thing we’ll miss if conference realignment does occur.
CHIEF OSCEOLA - Florida State
Jacob Gralton/FSView
Riding his horse Renegade, the chief leads the Seminoles onto the field in front of nearly 80,000 fans doing the Tomahawk Chop, which can be an eerie feeling for an opponent. But Osceola wasn’t chanting or chopping much when Marcus Mariota was tearing his team to shreds in the Rose Bowl.
ALBERT AND ALBERTA - Florida
Brad McClenny/The Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK
The only “married” couple to make the list, Albert and Alberta lead the Gator Chomp in Gainesville. They are much cuter than the real thing and you would much rather come across these pair than ones in an actual swamp.
AUBIE TIGER - Auburn
Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK
Current Oregon quarterback Bo Nix might have the dirt on this guy. Aubie might have gotten the best of Oregon in 2011, but rumor has it that even he knows Michael Dyer was down.
BENNY BEAVER - Oregon State
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Somehow Benny Beaver weaseled onto the list, but compared to other Pac-12 mascots, he’s one of the better ones. Benny does need an orthodontist plan and the big question is what happened to Bernice Beaver.
THE TREE - Stanford
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
One of the country’s unique mascots is The Tree from Stanford. It doesn’t have much to say but does have its own little dances that can range from being cool to a bit creepy.
