The Best Mascots in College Football, Ranked

UGA the Bulldog Tops ESPN's Mascot Rankings

UGA the Bulldog (Georgia) tops ESPN's mascot power rankings for a reason that is both simple and profound.

UGA (currently in his eleventh lineage, UGA XI) is a living, breathing, snoring English bulldog who sits on the sidelines during games in an air-conditioned doghouse wearing a custom jersey.

He is not a person in a costume. He is not a cartoon. He is an actual dog, and the program has maintained this tradition for decades with the same family's bulldogs.

UGA the Bulldog:

• Tops ESPN's mascot power rankings
• UGA XI, eleventh lineage
• Sits in air-conditioned doghouse during games
• Same family's bulldogs for decades

UGA has his own Instagram following. He has made the cover of Sports Illustrated. He has attended the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

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Ralphie the Buffalo Ranks Second With Pure Spectacle

Ralphie the Buffalo (Colorado) ranks second in ESPN's rankings and earns the placement with pure theatrical spectacle.

Ralphie is a 1,200-pound American bison who is led by a team of five trained handlers at a full sprint around Folsom Field before every home game.

The image of a live bison charging across a football field while a crowd of 55,000 people loses their collective mind is a sensory experience that no costume mascot can replicate.

Ralphie the Buffalo:

• Ranks second in ESPN's rankings
• 1,200-pound American bison
• Five trained handlers at full sprint
• Charges around Folsom Field before every game

Ralphie's physical presence is so overwhelming that she has her own security detail. Handlers are specifically trained to run with her in patterns that prevent her from charging into the stands.

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Bevo the Longhorn Completes Elite Live-Animal Tier

Bevo the Longhorn (Texas) completes the elite live-animal tier.

A Texas Longhorn steer whose horns span over six feet tip to tip, Bevo XV has become as recognizable as the burnt orange color scheme itself.

The lore surrounding Bevo (including the infamous incident where he nearly attacked Georgia's UGA at the 2019 Sugar Bowl) has only added to the legend.

Bevo the Longhorn:

• Completes elite live-animal tier
• Horns span over six feet tip to tip
• Nearly attacked UGA at 2019 Sugar Bowl
• Generates viral content just by existing

In the modern era of college football, where programs desperately seek social media moments, Bevo generates genuine viral content just by existing.

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Aubie the Tiger and Sparty Lead Costume Tier

The costume mascot tier is led by Aubie the Tiger (Auburn) and Sparty (Michigan State), both of whom have won the National Collegiate Mascot Championship multiple times.

Aubie's expressive costume design and the performance skill of Auburn's mascot team (which includes theatrical training and a commitment to character consistency) have made him the gold standard of the costume category.

Sparty's imposing physical build (the costume stands over seven feet tall) creates a visual impact that most costume mascots can't match.

Costume mascot leaders:

• Aubie the Tiger (Auburn) and Sparty (Michigan State)
• Both won National Collegiate Mascot Championship multiple times
• Aubie has theatrical training, character consistency
• Sparty stands over seven feet tall

Brutus Buckeye (Ohio State) rounds out the top costume tier as the most recognizable non-animal costume in the sport, despite the perpetual debate about whether a walking buckeye is conceptually terrifying or adorable.

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Chief Osceola and Renegade at Florida State

Chief Osceola and Osceola ride at Florida State deserves special recognition as the most theatrical combined mascot moment in college football.

The pageantry of Osceola riding Renegade, the Appaloosa horse, to midfield and planting a flaming spear is a pregame ritual that has no equal in terms of drama and intentionality.

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The Bottom Line on College Football Mascots

UGA the Bulldog tops ESPN's mascot rankings (UGA XI, actual dog in air-conditioned doghouse, same family's bulldogs for decades). Ralphie the Buffalo ranks second (1,200-pound bison charges Folsom Field, five trained handlers, own security detail). Bevo the Longhorn completes elite live-animal tier (horns span six feet, nearly attacked UGA at 2019 Sugar Bowl). Aubie the Tiger and Sparty lead costume tier (both won National Collegiate Mascot Championship multiple times). Chief Osceola and Renegade at Florida State is most theatrical combined mascot moment (flaming spear plant at midfield).

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