Author: Anthony Haage

What makes you a fan of a certain college football team in Utah? Maybe you went to that college or have followed them throughout your life. Another reason could be that you simply love their mascot.

Mascots do a great job of adding personality to their team. They fire up the crowd, perform acrobatic acts, have killer dance moves, and much more. You need every advantage you can get, and I would argue that an awesome mascot can help your team win.

Utah has a decent amount of college football teams, but not all of their mascots will be able to fit into the top five. Tough decisions were made, but I’ve finally concluded that the following Utah football mascots should be ranked in this order.

5. Swoop – Utah

Starting things out, we have Swoop, the Mascot for the Utah Utes. The Utes are the most notable football team in the state, but that doesn’t mean they have the best mascot.

That said, they don’t have the easiest team name to work off of. Swoop is a red-tailed hawk, and a Ute is not a bird. In fact, Utah was named after the Ute Indigenous people. The school went a long time without an official mascot, and a few of the ones they had didn’t stick.

They originally had an American Indian, a cartoon Indian boy named Hoyo, and the Crimson Warrior before Swoop. He became the official mascot back in 1996 and has been ever since.

The team is still called the Utes and has been approved by the Ute Tribal Council. However, using an Indian as your mascot is toeing the line, especially nowadays.

Fortunately, the Utes have had one of the top-ranked football teams in the country. Maybe focusing on their team’s success is better than where their mascot ranks in my top five.

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4. Waldo the Wildcat – Weber State

Weber State’s mascot is a step above Swoop. He’s known as Waldo the Wildcat and comes in at the fourth spot in my rankings. I’ll admit Swoop and Waldo could be swapped, which wouldn’t make that much of a difference.

Both mascots are relatively low-key, while others stand out a lot more. Waldo might not have the athleticism or dance moves as the higher-ranking mascots, but he still has a solid design.

He is a step above Swoop in my rankings because he matches his school’s team name. If you saw Swoop in public without his Utah gear on, would you know he’s the mascot of the Utes? Probably not.

Waldo’s are known for their ability to hide in plain sight. However, you could easily tell that Waldo is a mascot for the Wildcats.

3. Big Blue – Utah State

Big Blue is right in the middle of my mascot rankings for Utah’s football teams. Big Blue is the mascot for Utah State and earns a spot in my top three. I’ll admit that matching your team name isn’t the main reason why some mascots rank higher than others.

A perfect example of this is Big Blue, who is a blue bull. Utah State’s team name is the Aggies, but their mascot is simply better than the previous two.

It took some convincing from a student to bring back the mascot after a few failed runs, and now he’s one of the top mascots in the state. That happened back in 1989, but there have been six Big Blue mascots since then.

Four of those mascots went on to become pros, and it’s highly likely that being Big Blue was the main reason why they were able to do so.

2. Thor – Southern Utah

Swoop still deserves a spot on my list of the top five Utah football mascots, but he’s not the highest-ranking bird on the list. Another mascot might rank higher if they “bring the thunder.”

Southern Utah’s mascot is Thor, the Thunderbird. Now that’s a real bird mascot. Not only that, but the name Thor is also as powerful as they come. Thor is a well-known god of Norse mythology. Like the God of Thunder, the Thunderbird also wields his own Mjolnir while cheering on the team.

Southern Utah started using the Thunderbird mascot back in 1961. Now, he’s one of the best things about SUU’s football team.

When it comes to the top Utah football mascots, it’s impossible not to rank Thor highly on my list.

1. Cosmo the Cougar – BYU

We’ve reached the top of my list of the best Utah football mascots. To be deemed the best football mascot, you must check off all the boxes. For starters, I’d like the mascot to pair with the team’s name. Yes, I’m talking to you, Swoop the red-tailed hawk.

Next, the mascot must have a timeless name and design. They should also be able to entertain the crowd by displaying their athleticism. Last, and most importantly, they must hype up the fans for the game.

Which one checks all those boxes? That would be none other than Brigham Young University’s mascot, Cosmo the Cougar. Cosmo was the winner of SiriusXM’s Mascot Bracket, and deservingly so.

He is pure electricity, which is exactly what you want in a mascot. There’s no question he is at the top of my list for the best Utah football mascots.

References:

• Details of Thor the Thunderbird are from SUU News.

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