Hairy Dawg Sent Home From Mascot Challenge

MCLEAN, Va.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Nov. 18, 2009—The top eight vote-getters in this year’s Capital One National Mascot of the Year contest have advanced to the playoffs. More than 3 million votes were cast to decide the final eight contenders, consisting of TCU’s Superfrog, Navy’s Bill the Goat, Maryland’s Testudo, Cincinnati’s Bearcat, Miami’s Sebastian, Western Kentucky’s Big Red, South Dakota State’s Jack Rabbit, and Wisconsin’s Bucky Badger. The playoffs take place over the next four weeks, with the winner being announced on January 1, 2010 during the Capital One Bowl at 1pm on ABC.
   
“We’re proud of all our All-Americans who have campaigned hard throughout the regular season in a very tight race,“ said Steve Schooff at Capital One. “Now that the playoffs have begun, we expect the battle to become fierce and the claws to come out as the Capital One National Mascot of the Year title is on the line.“
   
To mark the start of the playoffs, Capital One has released a first-of-its-kind iPhone application that allows fans to pit mascots against each other in a football game reminiscent of the classic vibrating tabletop games. The Mascot Football Challenge application allows players to choose a mascot, an opponent, and even a stadium style as they take to the field. Players can place the iPhone on a desk or table and activate the silent vibrate function to invoke the nostalgia of the classic version of the game. The application also links to the Capital One Mascot Challenge Web site, offering an easy way for fans to vote for their favorite mascot as the playoffs heat up. Football fans can download and play the new application for free on iTunes beginning the week of November 16th.
   
“The Mascot Football Challenge iPhone application is a great way for fans to enjoy the spirit of the mascot competition and support their favorite mascot throughout the playoffs season,“ said Schooff.
   
Week One of the Playoffs (November 16-22) pits TCU’s Superfrog (#1) against Wisconsin’s Bucky Badger (#8), Navy’s Bill the Goat (#2) against South Dakota State’s Jack Rabbit (#7), Maryland’s Testudo (#3) against Western Kentucky State’s Big Red (#6) and Cincinnati’s Bearcat (#4) against Miami’s Sebastian.
   
Last summer, 12 lovable characters were named to the Eighth Annual Capital One All-America Mascot Team, and have been embroiled in a fierce competition to be named Capital One National Mascot of the Year. Since August 31st, fans have come out in force casting their vote for best beast at http://www.capitalonebowl.com.

    The Final Regular Season Standings
    1.  TCU - Superfrog  
  2.  United States Naval Academy - Bill the Goat  
  3.  University of Maryland - Testudo the Turtle  
  4.  University of Cincinnati - Bearcat  
  5.  University of Miami - Sebastian the Ibis  
  6.  Western Kentucky University - Big Red  
  7.  South Dakota State University - Jack Rabbit  
  8.  University of Wisconsin - Bucky Badger  
  9.  Louisiana State University - Mike the Tiger  
  10.  University of Georgia - Hairy Dawg  
  11.  Washington State University - Butch T. Cougar  
  12.  University of Oklahoma - Boomer