Top 5 College Football Live Mascots That Need to Exist

Mascots are as much a part of college football as the teams themselves and or many universities, mascots are part of the personality of a team. For example, the Oregon Duck is as animated and energetic as the team on the field. The number of push-ups done by the Duck during a game is enough to warrant the mascot a title of athletic trainer and that’s just one of many examples of how mascots reflect personality.

While many universities use human beings to portray mascots, a number of universities opt for mascots of the live animal variety. Since schools that opt for animal mascots often choose animals with a fighting spirit, having a live version of said mascot is not always an option.

It probably wouldn’t surprise you to learn that many schools using live mascots have had several instances where things went awry. These are, after all, live animals with the ability to think for themselves. No matter how much training these animals have received, they are still unpredictable and prone to animalistic behavior.

Since Colorado did not bring Ralphie to the Coliseum on Saturday, it got us thinking how awesome it be if schools opted to buck the trend and use a live animal mascot whenever possible.

We looked over the list of FBS and FCS schools to create a list of the best possible outcomes of such an event taking place. While we had hoped to come away with many hilarious options from which to choose, the frequency with which many schools choose the same mascots, or a variation thereof, left us with a relatively short list. So, without much further ado, I give you Reign of Troy’s list of 5 mascots with the greatest potential for disaster. They have been ranked in descending order.

5. University of North Dakota

You might notice that the school is missing a team name. This is not a mistake. They don’t have one because they can’t have one. Formerly known as the” Fighting Sioux,” the school was forced to drop the nickname after the NCAA required that they get approval from North Dakota’s two Sioux tribes if they wanted to continue using the name. Legislative leaders decided to fight the issue by passing a law that required the school to use the nickname and logo. It passed and was later repealed. Lawmakers have prohibited the University of North Dakota from choosing a new nickname until 2015 and for now, they will remain nameless. The moral of the story: thousands off pissed of indigenous individuals can be just as scary as any animal.

4. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Goldy Gopher does a fantastic job for the University of Minnesota. Apparently, and I didn’t know this, but he was the 2011 champion at the Universal Cheerleaders Association Mascot Championships. That said, Caddyshack’s Mr. Gopher might be just as good at his craft. You might not realize it yet, but the prospect of Carl Spackler trying to destroy a gopher during a live broadcast of a Minnesota game would be too amazing to pass up.