10 Best Live College Football Mascots

It's officially July, which means the college football offseason has reached its apex. It's time to rank things, like live college football mascots.  

Ranking live mascots is all subjective anyway, so we've used a very scientific formula to cut out any guesswork. On a 10-point scale, 10 being the best, mascots are judged in five categories: weaponry, attire, cuteness, originality and chances in a fight. Rankings are based on total points tallied. 

So, take a look and vehemently disagree with our study because that is the offseason's primary purpose. 

Honorable Mentions

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Auburn: War Eagle is one of the best traditions in college football, but major points were taken away for birds slamming into press box windows. 

Texas A&M: As far as dog mascots go, Reveille is one of the best. 

Yale: If your mascot's name is Handsome Dan, it's good enough for us. 

Northern Illinois: It was Diesel (and the folks at SB Nation) who taught us that MACtion is Magic. 

10. Bevo, Texas

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Weaponry: 5. Yo, are those horns just for show or what? Because they look like they could do some damage. But they also seem cumbersome. 

Attire: 0. Bevo parades around—and by "parades around," I mean stands or lies there—with no clothing. Zero points awarded, but this is a good thing. A longhorn in a giant T-shirt would be ridiculous. 

Cuteness: 2. Bevo is not entirely not cute. If you're an animal lover, everything is at least kind of cute, even opossums. And those things are hideous. 

Originality: 10. Everything about Bevo is original, sort of how everything about the Longhorn brand is original. Name, logo, color scheme, mascot—Texas does have it locked down here. 

Chances in a Fight: 3. Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk, but there's a reason cows are not at the top of the food chain. If Bevo had a running start at someone, though, sure, they'd have a fighting chance. 

Total Points: 20

9. Sir Big Spur, South Carolina

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Weaponry: 2. That beak could probably do some damage, but otherwise, this mascot is generally harmless.  

Attire: 0. A rooster in costume would be funny, but good luck getting anything on him. 

Cuteness: 0. It's a rooster, so no. 

Originality: 15. First of all, great name. We'll go ahead and tack on some extra points there to make up for lack of cuteness. Secondly, how many programs are confident enough to boast poultry as a mascot? Good work, South Carolina. 

Chances in a Fight: 5. What kind of fight are we talking about here? Is it against another rooster? If that's the case, he has a 50-50 shot, no?

Total Points: 22

8. Traveler/Trojan Warrior, USC

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Technically, Traveler is USC's Mascot, but we'll do a package deal with the Trojan warrior.  

Weaponry: 9. That sword looks pretty sharp. Remember, for the times, this was standard combat weaponry. Damage inflicted by this would be severe.    

Attire: 10. Everything about USC's mascot here is excellent. The helmet, clothing and the sword as a prop—it's all great. 

Cuteness: 3. Most of the points awarded here go to the horse. The warrior himself isn't cute, but come on now, look at that helmet! So fancy! 

Originality: 4. Certainly, USC has the most recognized Trojan name and mascot, but it's not exactly reeking of originality. 

Chances in a Fight: 2. They were fooled by a giant wooden horse in a war started by Paris, the original Mr. Steal-Yo-Girl. Intelligence and decision-making are questionable at best. 

Total Points: 28

7. The Mountaineer, West Virginia

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Weaponry: 10. Some people call it a musket, others call it a rifle. Either way, it's a functioning firearm. Former mascot Jonathan Kimble actually killed a bear with his school-issued musket a few years ago in perhaps the most West Virginia thing to ever grace news headlines. 

Attire: 8. The Mountaineer's entire wardrobe is fashioned from the animals he likely slaughtered himself. While a little grim to think about literally, that's pretty legit. 

Cuteness: -8. The Mountaineers were growing bushy, untamed beards—the male ones, anyway—even before hipsters thought it was cool. However, calling the Mountaineer cute would be nothing short of an insult. Negative points are awarded here, but the Mountaineer wouldn't have it any other way.

Originality: 9. West Virginia isn't the only school with a Mountaineer nickname, but it's definitely a tribute to the state's history and heritage. 

Chances in a Fight: 10. The Mountaineer isn't some genetically altered mascot whose Popeye muscles were born in a science lab (looking your way, TCU). No, the Mountaineer has outdoorsman, wrasslin' strength that could pretzel you into a full nelson before you even hear him approaching. 

Total Points: 29

6. Uga, Georgia

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Weaponry: 1. Do teeth count? Uga has teeth and can bite you, but that's about it. 

Attire: 9. That jersey...is just...the cutest (see: Cuteness below). Look at him! Look at his little shirt! 

Cuteness: 10. Alone, Uga is worth about six or seven points. However, cuteness levels go up to 10 when he lies on a bed of ice. 

Originality: 7. Having a live bulldog isn't anything too original, but the university does bury former Uga mascots within the confines of Sanford Stadium. Bonus points there. 

Chances in a Fight: 3. I don't know, ask this Auburn player what he thinks of Uga. 

Total Points: 30

5. Chief Osceola and Renegade, Florida State

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Weaponry: 7. The spear is intimidating but not always the most effective weapon. What if he misses? Is it a viable long-range option? He gets bonus points for lighting it on fire, though. 

Attire: 9. An all-around, solid look here. Good, original color scheme.  

Cuteness: 2. The Chief himself isn't cute, but Renegade is a nice-looking steed—the only reason we didn't award zero (or negative) points here. 

Originality: 5. FSU's Osceola hasn't been around for as long as some other mascots, but it serves as a symbol of the university's connection to the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Points deducted for Cimarron, though. Just because. 

Chances in a Fight: 9. Having the advantage of being horseback is a major plus. No one's outrunning you, and if things get dicey, Osceola can get out of a jam quickly. As for his chances in hand-to-hand combat? We're going to guess this guy knows what he's doing. 

Total Points: 32. It's not a perfect 50, so #FSUTwitter kindly reminds us to check our facts and stop being a bunch of haters. 

4. The Leprechaun, Notre Dame

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Weaponry: 7. Technically, the Leprechaun has two weapons: his right fist and his left fist. Cross him the wrong way and you'll get an introduction to both. 

Attire: 9. Give Notre Dame credit. The Leprechaun is a life-size caricature thanks to his green and gold outfit with matching hat. That's not easily done.   

Cuteness: 0. Maybe if he was leprechaun-sized, yeah.  

Originality: 9. You don't see too many leprechauns roaming college football sidelines elsewhere, so yeah, it's pretty original.  

Chances in a Fight: 10. If you're named the Fighting Irish and you can't fight, then there's a big problem.

Total Points: 35

3. Ralphie, Colorado

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Weaponry: 6. Ralphie has four hooves, typically weighs in at well over 1,000 pounds and can probably post a sub-4.5 40-yard dash. You tell me if that's not a weapon. 

Attire: 7. Ralphie doesn't wear anything other than a handful of frightened handlers running for their ever-loving lives. And she wears it with a smile. 

Cuteness: 5. Despite the fact that Ralphie is a wild beast, there's something majestic about her. She's cute but doesn't know it. 

Originality: 10. Bringing Ralphie onto the field is universally regarded as one of the great game-day entrances in college football. 

Chances in a Fight: 8. Would you want to stop that freight train of an animal? 

Total Points: 36

2. Mike the Tiger, LSU

Doug Benc/Getty Images

Weaponry: 9. Are you kidding me? That's a living, breathing death machine.  

Attire: 8. Tiger stripes are just cool in general, except on T-shirts. Don't ever wear T-shirts with tiger stripes on them. 

Cuteness: 3. Yes, there's a certain beauty tigers possess, but cute might be a stretch. 

Originality: 10. The single best thing about Mike is that he sits outside the opponent’s locker room in a trailer for intimidation purposes. “That thing, that thing scared the life out of me,” former Alabama defensive end Marcell Dareus said (via For the Win). 

Chances in a Fight: 10. What do you think?

Total Points: 40

1. Smokey, Tennessee

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Weaponry: 1. Just like Uga, Smokey has some teeth that could break skin. Overall, though, weaponry is not a dog's strongest asset. 

Attire: 9. Tying in Tennessee's checkerboard end-zone pain scheme to Smokey's outfit is a nice touch. 

Cuteness: 100. OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD.

Originality: 10. Using an actual Bluetick Coonhound is pretty awesome. Plus, Smokey has some interesting historical tidbits, courtesy of UT's website: 

"

Smokey II was dognapped by Kentucky students in 1955 and later survived a confrontation with the Baylor Bear at the 1957 Sugar Bowl. Smokey VI, who suffered heat exhaustion in the 140-degree temperatures at the 1991 UCLA game, was listed on the Vols injury report until he returned later in the season. 

"

Chances in a Fight: 2. Who wants to fight this dog? Seriously?  

Total Points: 122