Today, the full list of participants for the 2014 Capital One Mascot Challenge were announced, and Syracuse's own Otto the Orange has made the cut! This is Otto's third time competing in the Mascot Challenge, previously listed in both 2002 and 2006. He has never won, however.
This year's 16 participants range from power conference veterans to first-time competitors from smaller conferences, too. The full group (via the Syracuse Athletics release):
- Aubie – Auburn
- Benny Beaver – Oregon State
- Big Red – Arkansas (rookie)
- Big Red – Western Kentucky
- Brutus Buckeye – Ohio State
- Buster Bronco – Boise State
- Buzz – Georgia Tech (2014 write-in winner)
- Cocky – South Carolina (2003 winner)
- Cy – Iowa State (2008 winner)
- Goldy Gopher – Minnesota
- Joe Bruin – UCLA
- Otto the Orange – Syracuse
- Sparty – Michigan State
- Spike – The Citadel (rookie)
- Wilma T. Wildcat – Arizona
- Zippy – Akron (2007 winner)
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The 2014 Capital One Mascot Challenge starts next Monday and continues for 12 weeks throughout the football season. As Syracuse fans, we can help push Otto through the competition by participating in various social media challenges. You're not OBLIGATED to help out Otto, obviously. But what kind of person would you be if you didn't want our furry orange friend to go as far as possible? Plus, there are four mascots on this list who CANNOT win, for obvious reasons (to us):
- Aubie (Auburn): "Hey, you guys can't tie the Mascot Challenge with us too, can you?"
- Buzz (Georgia Tech): Revenge for last year's football AND basketball losses (plus only other ACC participant)
- Goldy Gopher (Minnesota): Because beating them in something else would be fun, no?
- Zippy (Akron): /Vomits
So G'Otto and G'ORANGE!