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Mascots are some of the most important figures in collegiate sports, at least in terms of their sole ability to hype up the crowd. Without them, the fans don't get that similar connection with the team that they do every time. The Big Ten is no different, getting weird and wacky with all the funky mascots they have on tap. This year, with a few changes to the rankings, maybe the conversation about the sporting world's most underappreciated figures can grow.
Here are my personal rankings of all 18 of the Big Ten's mascots.
Mascot Name: N/A
The Wolverines are now the only team in the conference without a mascot, and for a school with such a cool nickname and concept, it's frankly disappointing. While they have the coolest helmet of any college football program in the country, that may be a conversation for another day.
Mascot Name: Kingfisher
This is not the worst mascot in the Big Ten bar none, both conceptually and aesthetically. While it had a little bit of a fall from grace, it still does not serve the purpose of representing the team. Also, the colors of the costume itself are still vastly offputting. Not even Illinois' recent football relevance can save it from ignominy.
Mascot Name: Purdue Pete
There's just something about Purdue Pete that doesn't sit well with me. However, neither does the program's team name, nor their performances on the field. It does not help when the mascot looks so unnatural and really is just there for vibes sake rather than as an actual figurehead of the team. Pete gets a little bit of a drop from this year compared to last.
Mascot Name: Harry the Hawk
The Hawkeyes never fail to impress me in such a negative manner. The hawk is such a cool concept but it's done so poorly that I can't give them any credit. While a little better than a creepy human at the very least, the color scheme does not fit the nickname at all. Maybe they'd be best suited to call themselves the Bumblebees with this costume and concept combo.
Mascot Name: Testudo
This may be the first mascot on the list who at the very least I can kind of get behind. Cool nickname which fits the team and also perhaps the coolest nickname of any college sports mascot. Making a turtle intimidating is always tough however, and when the team is just getting back to relevancy, chances are the mascot has to do most of the work to get butts into seats. I don't know if Testudo has that much appeal as those higher than him.
Mascot name: Joe Bruin
There's really not much wrong with Joe Bruin. It's just that much like the play in the conference itself, the mascot gaem is a bit too competitive. Stylistically, Joe is very cool and is more based on name rather than aesthetic. Still, there is little to take away from Joe as he fills a role and gets the job done unlike a lot of mascots in this conference.
Mascot name: Willie the Wildcat
Willie had to take from last year to this year through no fault of his won. As much as I love alliteration to make a mascot more fun and awesome, Willie is simply losing ground in the race for Big Ten mascot supremacy. With other mascots similar to him aesthetically, there's not much room for Willie to move up. Therefore, he unfortunately must move down despite bus under-appreciated feel.
Mascot name: Harry the Husky
Again, Harry the Husky is a nice concept with a cerebral feel that also could bring an intimidating air in one of college football's most underrated environments. However, he lacks that heavyweight feel that the top 10 will bring. Still, he may be elevated come next year if the Huskies' play on the field continues to progress as some say it will.
Mascot name: Hoosier the Bison
Okay Indiana. Now we're talking. After not having a mascot for several years, the reigning national champs finally have one. And boy is it cool. With perhaps one of the most difficult names for a football program to work with due to the state's rick basketball history, the bison somehow finds a way to tie everything together. It is an emblem of the state and the intimidating product it now puts out on the field every Saturday. Who knows? if the champs go back-to-back, there may be an even bigger rise in the rankings for the Hoosiers next year.
Mascot Name: Nittany Lions
Unfortunately, not much bias can come into play with the Nittany Lion as he always seems a bit overshadowed by the fans and doesn't have the best of costumes. Still, he gets major points in the intimidation factor as nothing beats him walking out in a White Out atmosphere every year for one of the most hyped up games on the college sports calendar. This ranking is mainly due to the prestige of the program and less with the actual mascot itself.
Mascot Name: Sir Henry the Scarlet Knight
This is where the best of both worlds start to combine as Sir Henry adds both the cerebral nature of his human feel to his ability to intimidate. While he tends to add more to the aesthetic of basketball games rather on the gridiron, he still represents the Jersey swagger the Scarlet Knights want from their program.
Mascot Name: Goldy the Golden Gopher
Now it's time to get funky. Quite literally. Goldy is the perfect mascot to represent her squad as Minnesota are the weirdest and wackiest of teams. Sometimes they may not be relevant, but others, they can be a fun and frisky squad to keep your eye on. Maybe that's why Goldy feels so much better as a figure representing her squad. The team elevates her status as much as she does there's.
Mascot Name: Tommy Trojan
This one is as much about tradition as it is anything else. Without the epic walkout for both mascots, I don't think USC would rank as highly. But both iterations of Tommy Trojan are seemingly ubiquitous, making them the most prestigious mascot on this list. Unfortunately, prestige does not get them that much higher despite their efforts. Perhaps with a CFP appearance this year, I could be swayed.
Mascot Name: Herbie Husker
Herbie appeals to the common man in a way not a lot of mascots do. For a Midwest, salt-of-the-earth state, the fans deserve a salt-of-the-earth mascot. And while Herbie may not be as cool or intimidating as others on this list, he deserves respect for fitting the image of Nebraska's people as well as its team. Sometimes it's where you are and not who you are that determine these kinds of things.
Mascot Name: Brutus Buckeye
Now we are starting to get into icon territory. Brutus is seemingly everywhere in the world of sports and may have even outgrown Ohio State proper. He is as recognized on ESPN as he probably is on campus. He also has one of the most unique costume concepts in all of sports. There's just something about him that clicks every time that I cannot seem to ignore.
Mascot Name: Bucky the Badger
For some reason, I can't get over Bucky. The weird costume and aesthetic are seemingly knocks against him, as well as the program overall. And still, he manages to carry across this omnipresence and guile that few mascots pull off. While he may not be the most familiar mascot to many, he can wear many different hats.
Mascot Name: Sparty
There are not many more iconic mascot names in the world of sports, and not many more that can add an intimidating factor to the table. Sparty fills both roles better than maybe any other human mascot. Both on and off the field, he is reminiscent of an all-around star. Unfortunately, there may now be a new No. 1 in town whose icon level cannot be matched.
Mascot Name: The Oregon Duck
Yeah, this feels like a no-brainer now. The Oregon Ducks has probably been on everyone's social media feeds at least once in the past three years or so. Now that he has a Big Ten platform to strut his stuff, he has taken it in stride. Whether it be his goofy antics or his ubiquitous costume, it may be hard to take his crown for quite some time. Especially if Oregon makes the Big Ten conference a four-time consecutive national champion.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Ranking all 18 Big Ten mascots
Continue reading...
Here are my personal rankings of all 18 of the Big Ten's mascots.
18. Michigan Wolverines
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Mascot Name: N/A
The Wolverines are now the only team in the conference without a mascot, and for a school with such a cool nickname and concept, it's frankly disappointing. While they have the coolest helmet of any college football program in the country, that may be a conversation for another day.
17. Illinois Fighting Illini
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Mascot Name: Kingfisher
This is not the worst mascot in the Big Ten bar none, both conceptually and aesthetically. While it had a little bit of a fall from grace, it still does not serve the purpose of representing the team. Also, the colors of the costume itself are still vastly offputting. Not even Illinois' recent football relevance can save it from ignominy.
16. Purdue Boilermakers
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Mascot Name: Purdue Pete
There's just something about Purdue Pete that doesn't sit well with me. However, neither does the program's team name, nor their performances on the field. It does not help when the mascot looks so unnatural and really is just there for vibes sake rather than as an actual figurehead of the team. Pete gets a little bit of a drop from this year compared to last.
15. Iowa Hawkeyes
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Mascot Name: Harry the Hawk
The Hawkeyes never fail to impress me in such a negative manner. The hawk is such a cool concept but it's done so poorly that I can't give them any credit. While a little better than a creepy human at the very least, the color scheme does not fit the nickname at all. Maybe they'd be best suited to call themselves the Bumblebees with this costume and concept combo.
14. Maryland Terrapins
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Mascot Name: Testudo
This may be the first mascot on the list who at the very least I can kind of get behind. Cool nickname which fits the team and also perhaps the coolest nickname of any college sports mascot. Making a turtle intimidating is always tough however, and when the team is just getting back to relevancy, chances are the mascot has to do most of the work to get butts into seats. I don't know if Testudo has that much appeal as those higher than him.
13. UCLA Bruins
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Mascot name: Joe Bruin
There's really not much wrong with Joe Bruin. It's just that much like the play in the conference itself, the mascot gaem is a bit too competitive. Stylistically, Joe is very cool and is more based on name rather than aesthetic. Still, there is little to take away from Joe as he fills a role and gets the job done unlike a lot of mascots in this conference.
12. Northwestern Wildcats
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Mascot name: Willie the Wildcat
Willie had to take from last year to this year through no fault of his won. As much as I love alliteration to make a mascot more fun and awesome, Willie is simply losing ground in the race for Big Ten mascot supremacy. With other mascots similar to him aesthetically, there's not much room for Willie to move up. Therefore, he unfortunately must move down despite bus under-appreciated feel.
11. Washington Huskies
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Mascot name: Harry the Husky
Again, Harry the Husky is a nice concept with a cerebral feel that also could bring an intimidating air in one of college football's most underrated environments. However, he lacks that heavyweight feel that the top 10 will bring. Still, he may be elevated come next year if the Huskies' play on the field continues to progress as some say it will.
10. Indiana Hoosiers
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Mascot name: Hoosier the Bison
Okay Indiana. Now we're talking. After not having a mascot for several years, the reigning national champs finally have one. And boy is it cool. With perhaps one of the most difficult names for a football program to work with due to the state's rick basketball history, the bison somehow finds a way to tie everything together. It is an emblem of the state and the intimidating product it now puts out on the field every Saturday. Who knows? if the champs go back-to-back, there may be an even bigger rise in the rankings for the Hoosiers next year.
9. Penn State Nittany Lions
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Mascot Name: Nittany Lions
Unfortunately, not much bias can come into play with the Nittany Lion as he always seems a bit overshadowed by the fans and doesn't have the best of costumes. Still, he gets major points in the intimidation factor as nothing beats him walking out in a White Out atmosphere every year for one of the most hyped up games on the college sports calendar. This ranking is mainly due to the prestige of the program and less with the actual mascot itself.
8. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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Mascot Name: Sir Henry the Scarlet Knight
This is where the best of both worlds start to combine as Sir Henry adds both the cerebral nature of his human feel to his ability to intimidate. While he tends to add more to the aesthetic of basketball games rather on the gridiron, he still represents the Jersey swagger the Scarlet Knights want from their program.
7. Minnesota Golden Gophers
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Mascot Name: Goldy the Golden Gopher
Now it's time to get funky. Quite literally. Goldy is the perfect mascot to represent her squad as Minnesota are the weirdest and wackiest of teams. Sometimes they may not be relevant, but others, they can be a fun and frisky squad to keep your eye on. Maybe that's why Goldy feels so much better as a figure representing her squad. The team elevates her status as much as she does there's.
6. USC Trojans
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Mascot Name: Tommy Trojan
This one is as much about tradition as it is anything else. Without the epic walkout for both mascots, I don't think USC would rank as highly. But both iterations of Tommy Trojan are seemingly ubiquitous, making them the most prestigious mascot on this list. Unfortunately, prestige does not get them that much higher despite their efforts. Perhaps with a CFP appearance this year, I could be swayed.
5. Nebraska Cornhuskers
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Mascot Name: Herbie Husker
Herbie appeals to the common man in a way not a lot of mascots do. For a Midwest, salt-of-the-earth state, the fans deserve a salt-of-the-earth mascot. And while Herbie may not be as cool or intimidating as others on this list, he deserves respect for fitting the image of Nebraska's people as well as its team. Sometimes it's where you are and not who you are that determine these kinds of things.
4. Ohio State Buckeyes
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Mascot Name: Brutus Buckeye
Now we are starting to get into icon territory. Brutus is seemingly everywhere in the world of sports and may have even outgrown Ohio State proper. He is as recognized on ESPN as he probably is on campus. He also has one of the most unique costume concepts in all of sports. There's just something about him that clicks every time that I cannot seem to ignore.
3. Wisconsin Badgers
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Mascot Name: Bucky the Badger
For some reason, I can't get over Bucky. The weird costume and aesthetic are seemingly knocks against him, as well as the program overall. And still, he manages to carry across this omnipresence and guile that few mascots pull off. While he may not be the most familiar mascot to many, he can wear many different hats.
2. Michigan State Spartans
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Mascot Name: Sparty
There are not many more iconic mascot names in the world of sports, and not many more that can add an intimidating factor to the table. Sparty fills both roles better than maybe any other human mascot. Both on and off the field, he is reminiscent of an all-around star. Unfortunately, there may now be a new No. 1 in town whose icon level cannot be matched.
1. Oregon Ducks
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Mascot Name: The Oregon Duck
Yeah, this feels like a no-brainer now. The Oregon Ducks has probably been on everyone's social media feeds at least once in the past three years or so. Now that he has a Big Ten platform to strut his stuff, he has taken it in stride. Whether it be his goofy antics or his ubiquitous costume, it may be hard to take his crown for quite some time. Especially if Oregon makes the Big Ten conference a four-time consecutive national champion.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Ranking all 18 Big Ten mascots
Continue reading...
